Insole and footwear materials brand OrthoLite has announced a partnership with Novamont, a B-Corp manufacturer of bioplastics and biochemicals, to escalate the scalability of its circular foam material solution for footwear, the OrthoLite Cirql, originally launched in 2022.
OrthoLite Cirql foam is positioned as free from “forever chemicals” and responsibly sourced from non-GMO vegetable raw materials derived from plants and synthetic biodegradable materials. The material can be returned to the production cycle using low-energy, advanced chemical recycling to help keep materials in use or back to nature as fully compostable through selected industrial composting methods and processors. Novamont developed a tailor-made bio-polymer material for OrthoLite Cirql’s chemical-free foaming process, which uses nitrogen combined with renewable energy. The manufacturing process also reduces energy consumption and creates a finished part with no downtime, polymerization or waste.
The partnership will offer a traditional plastic-free, scalable and circular material to OrthoLite’s 500+ footwear brand partners and factory stakeholders in 2023.
Headquartered in Novara, Italy, Novamont has 650 employees and a turnover of approximately €414 million. It has production plants in Terni, Bottrighe and Patrica and research laboratories in Novara, Terni and Piana di Monte Verna. The OrthoLite Cirql marks Novamont’s debut in the footwear industry.
