Cirql launches compostable, biodegradable innovation for footwear brands

Vietnam-based innovation company Cirql, a subsidiary of OrthoLite, focused on developing scalable, less impactful, finished midsole components and material solutions for footwear brands, has unveiled a new industrially compostable, biodegradable foam innovation.

‘Cirql Zero’ debuted at ISPO Munich and aims to offer footwear brands a comprehensive solution that addresses both the production and end-of-life phases of footwear materials, emphasising biodegradability, recyclability, manufacturing adaptability and scalability.

Available to footwear brands from January 2025, ‘Cirql Zero’ uses a proprietary polymer compound made via supercritical foaming with inert gases to offer a lightweight, comfortable, and resilient midsole solution that can be customised for multiple footwear categories, from athletic to luxury.

Matt Thwaites, vice president and general manager of Cirql, said in a statement: "Footwear brands have been searching for a trusted, fully biodegradable midsole material for many years; it's the last piece of the puzzle.

"The midsole has always been a challenge because brands need the performance properties to go with the compostability of a biodegradable midsole. After a diligent development and testing process, we can now provide a price-competitive, scalable, industrially compostable and biodegradable midsole component and material solution to our global footwear brand customers. I'm very proud that Cirql is able to work toward democratising less impactful footwear materials."

The patent-pending innovation has been designed "to be tuned” to meet the design specs required by footwear brands, and at the end of the product's life, ‘Cirql Zero’ exceeds the industrial compostability testing standard of 90 percent degradation in 180 days and is fully compostable in industrial composting.

In addition, Cirql says a standout feature of ‘Cirql Zero’ is its manufacturing versatility, as this midsole foam can be produced using supercritical foaming (SCF) technology in an autoclave process. This flexibility ensures that ‘Cirql Zero’ is accessible to a broad range of manufacturers, streamlining its integration into existing production processes and paving the way for its rapid adoption across the global footwear industry. ‘Cirql Zero’ is the first midsole foam of its kind that can be scaled to hundreds of millions of pairs of shoes annually.