Sustainable footwear with cork soles

Could these recyclable insoles transform shoe manufacturing?

Spotted: Our footwear is responsible for 1.4 per cent of all global greenhouse emissions, mostly due to material extraction and manufacturing processes, with millions of synthetic shoe insoles discarded into landfills every year. Stepping up to this challenge, Dutch startup Primal Soles has developed what it claims is the world’s first 100 per cent recyclable insoles, made from Mediterranean cork and recyclable memory foam. 

Primal Soles’ innovative approach lies not only in its use of eco-friendly materials, but also in its commitment to sustainability and circularity across the entire product lifecycle. The cork is sourced from family farms across Portugal and processed by Amorim Cork Composites, a recognised leader in sustainable cork supply.

An independent consultancy study has shown that the footwear has negative carbon emissions, with the sustainable harvesting process allowing up to 8.2 kilogrammes of CO2 to be sequestered per square metre. The finished products have also been recognised by the European Parliament as Green List Waste, which means that after use they can be recycled in their entirety back at the supply locations. 

The insoles are designed for flexibility, breathability, and durability, and founder-CEO David Even shared with Springwise that “at the heart of Primal’s philosophy is a commitment to providing customers with maximum comfort while leaving the smallest possible ecological footprint—one step at a time.” He emphasised that “cork oak forests support the ecosystem of one of the planet’s 36 remaining biodiversity hotspots, with over 200 animal species and 135 plant species”. 

In 2024, Primal Soles made a strategic decision to pivot from a direct-to-consumer business to a B2B business, highlighting the opportunities that hotel partnerships bring. The company has moved on to target the disposable hotel slipper, and pilots are set to launch in the Netherlands’ most sustainable hotel, Hotel Jakarta, as well as with other groups, later this year.

Written By: Oscar Williams