Reimagining Footwear: From Bacteria, Back to Bacteria
O° by design lab OXMAN
O° Shoes by OXMAN. Photography - Courtesy of OXMAN.
In the intricate tapestry of nature, nothing is wasted; every element plays a vital role in an endlessly circular system. A fallen leaf decomposes into nutrients for the soil, while a seashell dissolves over time, releasing minerals back into the ocean. This seamless renewal cycle sharply contrasts with most human-made products, which often accumulate as waste without a clear end-of-life plan.
Consider shoes, for example. Designed for durability yet influenced by seasonal trends, they are rarely made with disassembly or decomposition in mind. Each year, billions of pairs are manufactured, worn, and discarded, contributing to an ever-growing environmental burden. The O° design platform, created by OXMAN, proposes an alternative: What if consumer products could be designed to exist within biological cycles—capable of naturally breaking down and leaving no trace? The platform’s first project, a biodegradable shoe, is an experiment in rethinking materials, production, and the relationship between design and nature.
A wall of shoe prototypes designed at the OXMAN lab over the course of a year. Each shoe features novel combinations of computationally-designed 3D-printed PHA uppers, 3D knit textiles from PHA-based yarn, and biomanufactured pigments. Photography - Nicholas Calcott, Courtesy of OXMAN.
Rethinking Materials: A Mono-Material Approach
Shoes are typically constructed from a complex assembly of foams, rubbers, textiles, and adhesives, each optimised for specific performance needs. Shoes, like many everyday products, are traditionally made from a complex mix of materials, each optimized for specific functions—flexibility, durability, cushioning. But this very complexity makes them difficult, if not impossible, to recycle. A single pair of shoes can contain over forty chemically bonded materials, ensuring that even after disposal, its components remain entangled, unable to return to the ecosystems they came from.
O° challenges this approach with a mono-material design, where the entire shoe is crafted from a single, biologically derived polymer: polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). Unlike conventional plastics, which can persist for centuries, PHAs are designed to break down in soil, freshwater, and marine environments without leaving microplastics behind.
Through 3D printing, hot melt spinning, and robotic knitting, the O° team has developed a way to fine-tune this single material to take on different properties—from soft, flexible structures to rigid, durable forms—without the need for additional components. This not only simplifies production but also ensures that, at the end of its life, the shoe can break down as seamlessly as a leaf returning to the soil.
Even colour, typically an afterthought in manufacturing, becomes an intrinsic part of the material process. Instead of applying pigments separately, bacteria integrate natural colour directly into the material, eliminating the need for synthetic dyes and chemical treatments. Colour is not applied—it is grown.
This shift questions long-held industrial practices, not just in terms of material composition but in how we design for an entire life cycle—from growth to decay.
O° Shoes by OXMAN – Process: Bacteria produce natural pigments within the material, eliminating synthetic dyes. Photography - Courtesy of OXMAN.
O° by OXMAN - PHA shoe bacterially engineered for multiple material properties, naturally biodegradable. Photography - Courtesy of OXMAN.
Reimagining Production: From Extraction to Growth
Most materials used in consumer goods today begin with extraction—from fossil fuels, minerals, or agricultural systems that require vast amounts of land and energy. The O° platform imagines a different future—one where materials are cultivated, not extracted.
Instead of relying on petroleum-based plastics or resource-heavy farming, PHAs can be grown by bacteria that feed on carbon-rich sources such as methane, CO₂, or organic waste. This process does not deplete resources; it transforms them.
This approach also challenges the geography of production. Instead of assembling a product from materials sourced across multiple continents, a localised system could generate functional materials on-site, using fermentation to create polymers from available carbon sources. Biofabrication could eliminate complex global supply chains, reducing emissions and environmental impact.
O° pioneers textile innovation by transforming biologically produced PHA into strong, flexible fibers—woven and 3D-knitted into seamless forms, unlocking new possibilities for zero-waste wearable design. Photography - Courtesy of OXMAN.
What Makes PHAs Different?
While bioplastics are often promoted as a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based plastics, not all bioplastics are created equal. Many still require specialised industrial conditions to degrade, which means they can persist in nature if disposed of improperly.
PHAs (polyhydroxyalkanoates) stand out because they can break down in various natural environments, from soil to oceans, without leaving behind microplastics. When discarded, they decompose and reintegrate into the ecosystem as organic matter.
Despite their advantages, PHAs are not without limitations. Although they break down more readily than conventional plastics, their degradation depends on environmental conditions. In certain climates or disposal scenarios, they may degrade more slowly than expected. Research is ongoing to fully understand their long-term ecological impact, particularly in marine environments, where their breakdown rates and effects on ecosystems require further study. These challenges highlight the need for continued research and innovation in sustainable and decomposable materials.
Biodegradable in soil, fresh water, and marine environments.
A Shift in Perspective
The O° platform signifies a shift in perspective rather than a final solution. It encourages designers and manufacturers to go beyond conventional sustainability models and explore how biological cycles can shape the future of material innovation.
This shift could potentially revolutionise the shoe industry, leading to a significant reduction in waste and a more sustainable approach to design and production. However, while the project holds great potential, it is essential to rethink our culture of mass production and disposability.
Creating a shoe that decomposes is only one aspect of the problem; we must also address the challenge of rethinking the need for constant production. Can these innovations succeed in a system that still depends on rapid turnover and seasonal trends?
O° provides a glimpse into the future of materials that are grown rather than manufactured, aligning with the natural world’s rhythms rather than working against them. It asks us to imagine products that exist not as waste, but as part of life’s continuous cycle—returning, renewing, and disappearing as effortlessly as they emerged.
“The degradation of shoes could one day benefit the growth of plants” - Design Lab OXMAN
© 2024 OXMAN. All rights reserved.
INFO
O°
Design Lab OXMAN
Research Team
Christoph Bader, Florian Born, Sarabeth Buckley, David Franck, Markus Kayser, Nic Lee, Anran Li, Zane Lindstrom, Jessy Lu, Neri Oxman, Luis Soenksen, Finn Stirling, Tim Tai, Marcus Walker, Leila Wallisser, Andrea Westlie
Consultants
Shoe Design: Nick Daiber
Robotics: Robin Godwyll
Industrial Design: Che-Wei Wang
Microscopy: James Weaver
Software: Christian Kokott
Acknowledgements
Photography: Nicholas Calcott
Videography: Brennan Freed, Eyal Bau Cohen, Alejandro Lazare, Matthew Marino
Dance: Omri Drumlevich, Zina Zinchenko
Soil Expertise: Larry Foglia
All images and videos courtesy of OXMAN
WORDS
Nina Zulian
SOURCES
PHA-Based Bioplastic: A Potential Alternative to Address Microplastic Pollution
PHA Biodegradation in Marine and Terrestrial Environments
Advances in PHA-Based Materials