Last post PET bottle lamps were shown and I wrote about a worldwide problem caused by plastic bottles. And there’s an even a bigger problem caused by an object you wouldn’t think of right away. I’m talking about tires [tyres]. Tires are not biodegradable, so they need to be recycled and repurposed rather than discarded. Seas of tires still exist in dumps around the globe, but progress is being made in dealing with the problem. And one of the solutions is ‘TireFlops‘ designed by a company called GomaVial, based in Donostia-San Sebastián | Basque Country, Spain.

Tires used for durable maximum grip outsole

Everyday, around the world, thousands of tires are disposed and are piled up. “In the USA, an estimated 300 million tires are disposed of annually, a figure that is absolutely staggering.” according to 1-800-RECYCLING.com.Some of them will be recycled and converted into something else. This would be great if not so much energy was needed, making the process environmentally unfriendly.

Photo © Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images


A team of researchers and engineers of GomaVital have been working for the last three years t develop a new technology to treat end-of-life tires: Tire Deconstruction. “This technology is not based in grinding them but in deconstructing the tires. This way, they retain all the properties of each of the three layers. No melting down, no reforming, no chemistry, just an innovative process to obtain this great material.”


Charles Goodyear created the first modern tire in 1839, since then it has all been about improving the compound. “Nowadays, a tire is a super high tech product, with incredible physical, chemical and mechanical properties. Our biggest motivation has always been sharing the fantastic properties of this material by creating a retail fashionable and functional product.”
And now the team, together with young designers, has come up with a solution to include tire soles in footwear. “We have designed TireFlops, a high quality flip-flop sandal where balance and simplicity are the key.”
A vulcanised rubber strap with high elasticity that perfectly adapts to your foot and firmly holds it. Combined with a non slippery surface results in footwear that’s more comfortable for walking. But best of all, the tire tread outsole for maximum grip on dry or wet surface.


Photos © GomaVial

If the weather is ok I love to wear my flip-flops, always have. I’ve got two pairs, a rubber and a leather pair. And the rubber ones are almost worn out. So I’m thinking about buying new ones. And after seeing the kickstarter campaign I can’t think of a better reason than to  choose for TireFlops! Hope they reach their goal.
Please go over to kickstarter and back the TireFlops campaign and help the environment.

Design by GomaVial