Whisky waste

Angelis: Footwear Reimagined from Whisky's Waste

Every year, an estimated 20 billion pairs of footwear are manufactured globally, with over 300 million pairs ending up in landfills. The environmental impact of this waste is exacerbated by the extensive use of non-biodegradable and toxic materials in traditional footwear production, leading to significant ecological damage.

Simultaneously, the world is overflowing with abundant waste resources that remain underutilised. These often discarded and overlooked by-products present an opportunity to address the environmental challenges we face. The challenge then becomes: Can we harness these waste sources to enhance the sustainability of the footwear industry?

One such industry with significant potential is the whisky industry. Whisky is one of the most consumed alcoholic beverages in the world, drunk in over 200 countries. However, the industry generates substantial waste during both the production and packaging phases. In production, approximately 3kg of spent grain is produced for every litre of whisky, often discarded or sold as low-value animal feed. Packaging also contributes to waste, particularly in the form of cork offcuts and used stoppers, which are commonly associated with high-end whisky. These by-products, typically overlooked, were studied and repurposed in this project to explore sustainable solutions for application in the footwear sector.

Angelis was designed entirely from by-products of the whisky industry — specifically, cork powder and spent grain. These materials were incorporated into every component of the shoe, including the adhesive, which is crucial yet often overlooked in footwear manufacturing.

For the upper, spent whisky grains were transformed into an animal-free and plastic-free leather alternative known as New Grain™. This innovative material is being developed by Arda Biomaterials, collaborators on this project. The insole and outsole of the shoe were crafted from waste cork powder combined with a natural soybean oil binder. This eco-friendly material is not only 100% plastic-free but also naturally hydrophobic, eliminating the need for harmful coatings. Finally, a 100% biobased adhesive was created using extracts from spent whisky grains. This was used to hold all the shoe components together.

The project also aimed to design a shoe that fits within existing manufacturing methods, using familiar components to avoid reinventing the entire production process. This approach ensures that sustainable design can be seamlessly integrated into current practices rapidly, promoting a more eco-friendly industry, as it avoids the need for a complete overhaul of manufacturing techniques.

With Angelis, sustainability seamlessly aligns with luxury design, embodying the rich heritage and sophistication of whisky craftsmanship while proving that high-end aesthetics can fully embrace environmental responsibility without compromise. By rethinking the use of waste materials and integrating them throughout the shoe’s construction, Angelis not only reduces environmental impact but also sets a new standard for luxury footwear — demonstrating that refined aesthetics and eco-conscious design can unite effortlessly in pursuit of a more sustainable future in footwear.

Making process

Upper
Spent grains are collected from whisky distilleries, washed, and prepared for processing.
Protein is extracted from the spent grains, modified, and non-toxic bio-based reagents are added to the mixture.
The solution is concentrated, cast, and dried to form sheets of material.

Note: The upper material, known as New Grain™, was developed by Arda Biomaterials using their patented method.

Insole and Outsole
Waste cork stoppers and cork offcuts are collected and ground into cork powder.
A natural soybean oil binder is prepared, and the cork powder is mixed into the binder.
The material is formed into a mould and cured in an oven to set.

Adhesive
Spent grains are collected from whisky distilleries, washed, and prepared for processing.
Extracts from the spent grains are combined with non-toxic bio-based additives to form the adhesive.

Text submitted by the maker and edited by the Future Materials Bank. For information about reproducing (a part of) this text, please contact the maker.