Vivobarefoot Launches Plant-Based Primus Lite ll Bio Shoe on the Heels of Sustainability Research
LOS ANGELES, May 20, 2019—Leading global barefoot shoe company VIVOBAREFOOT announced today the launch of Primus Lite II Bio, the company’s most innovative sustainable shoe to-date and one of the world’s first plant-based performance shoes. The mission-driven brand unveiled the highly-anticipated unisex shoe on the heels of independent sustainability research, which highlighted eco materials as a key factor in consumer purchasing decisions. The Primus Lite II Bio will be available in a limited run online, starting on May 20 for $160.
The new vegan shoe is designed with over 30 percent renewable plant-based materials, including Bio TPU made from yellow dent field corn, natural rubber and harvested algae called Bloom, instead of single-use petroleum materials. The award-winning design is VIVOBAREFOOT’s lightest and most efficient performance shoe yet and weighs on average an estimated 10 percent less than today’s standard performance shoes.
The new generation of VIVOBAREFOOT’s legacy Primus Lite style is a game-changer for the footwear industry and represents a major stride for the company towards its goal of using 100 percent bio-based materials in a future iteration of this product. Additional styles and colors of the Bio line will be released in Fall 2019.
VIVOBAREFOOT’s sustainbility ethos is uniquely different from other footwear brands in the industry, as it is rooted in design, wellness and social impact, along with utilizing eco-friendly materials. The company believes product design encompasses doing more with less and creating durable products. Its focus on wellness enables people to move in a natural, healthy, connected way, while maintaining performance and durability.
“The launch of the Primus Lite Bio represents an exciting step away from the industry’s reliance on single use petroleum-based materials and towards a promising future of plant-based alternatives,” said Asher Clark, Design Director at VIVOBAREFOOT. “We want to challenge the world’s relationship with shoes, the materials they are made from and the impact they are having on us and our environment. Our ultimate goal is complete circularity.”
More than 20 billion pairs of shoes are made annually, most from petrochemicals, which have a harmful impact on the environment, contributing to the already serious effects of climate change. The plant-based materials in the Primus Lite II Bio shoe are sourced and managed responsibly, reducing water, energy and CO2 emissions, improving waste water and ultimately reducing their ecological footprint.
The release of Primus Lite II Bio follows VIVOBAREFOOT’s commissioned consumer research study, which was conducted by an independent research company in April 2019. The study confirmed that most consumers today have different definitions of sustainability but a key focus for them was the use of eco-friendly materials in the products they buy. This is reassuring data for VIVOBAREFOOT, which is on a mission to phase out petrochemicals and use 100 percent sustainable materials in the next two years.
Clark added, “The less you put between your feet and the environment, the better. Just like our other styles, Primus Lite II Bio was designed to let people’s feet do their natural thing, while providing maximum sensory feedback from your body to your brain. The Primus Lite II Bio is not perfect, it still contains significant non-plant-based products, but it’s a step in the right direction. There are many challenges the footwear industry faces in creating sustainable products, and VIVOBAREFOOT believes it is better to innovate for good, rather than to stand still.”
Results from the independent research study are available upon request.
For additional information on VIVOBAREFOOT, visit https://www.vivobarefoot.com/us
About VIVOBAREFOOT
VIVOBAREFOOT launched in 2012 as a standalone brand, and is based in London, England. VIVOBAREFOOT is on a mission to change the footwear industry based on one simple insight—shoes should let your feet do their natural thing. The shoes feature a patented, ultra-thin, puncture-resistant sole in every shoe that protects the foot while allowing maximum sensory feedback. Designed using ancient wisdom with modern technology, VIVOBAREFOOT is a complete shoe collection for outdoor, active and everyday wear, as well as a line for kids. By 2020, the company aims to use 90 percent sustainable materials across their entire range, and 100 percent by 2021 Created by two cousins from a long line of cobblers, Galahad and Asher Clark are on a quest to make the perfect shoe—perfect for feet. For more information on VIVOBAREFOOT, visit www.vivobarefoot.com
Notes
Primus Bio uses a corn-based, vegan biopolymer, a natural bi-product of the field-corn food industry called ‘Susterra Propanediol’ or ‘1,3-propanediol’. Developed by DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products, Susterra® propanediol is a pure, bio-based, petroleum-free diol.
Sorona® a bio-based fibre also used in the shoe is a trademark of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.
These plant-based polymers derived from the glucose in field corn and are petroleum-free, non-toxic and 100% USDA certified, harvested by DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products, a joint venture between DuPont, a global science innovator, and Tate & Lyle, world-leading renewable food and industrial ingredients company.
Bloom Foam is created by harvesting algal biomass from freshwater sources at high risk of algal bloom. Using this algae biomass cleans and restores the environment when harvested. Bloom® is an ALGIX® Brand.