Maker of biodegradable shoes has local ties
Apple-growing sneaker an organic, sustainable alternative to typical shoe
KITCHENER — Luc Houle started designing shoes while living with his uncle near FischerHallman and Highland Road in Kitchener. Since then, he’s gone on to design and launch a compostable shoe.
Houle wanted to create a sustainable alternative to a typical sneaker shoe, he said.
“One of the big things that bothered me when I was working in fashion footwear was that most products that we put out had a relatively short lifespan. So we expected turnover to be pretty high because fashion comes and goes,” said Houle
“This is the first time that I recognized an area that I’m an expert in and that I can help.”
More than 21 billion pairs of shoes were produced worldwide in 2019 alone, and how long traditional plastic takes to break down is still largely unknown. Some estimates say it takes up to 1,000 years.
Houle’s shoe is made from organic cotton canvass coated in beeswax to keep them waterresistant, natural cork insoles, a midsole made of a biodegradable plastic compound, and an outsole made with natural latex rubber which also decomposes.
Once the shoe breaks down, an apple seed embedded in the sole will be released and able to germinate.
This inspired the name of the shoe, Johnny, after the historical figure Johnny Appleseed.
The company will plant a tree for every pair of shoes sold and send extra seeds to anyone whose shoes don’t sprout, said Houle.
This type of technology for a shoe is possible, said Tiz Mekonnen, an assistant professor in the department of chemical engineering at the University of Waterloo. Mekonnen researches polymer engineering and specializes in sustainability — that is, recycling existing polymers, the use of bio-based polymers and researching compostable and biodegradable polymers.
“It’s plastic, but if it doesn’t stay for too long in our environment, it will not be toxic,” he said, though he would need to know more about Houle’s compound’s makeup to comment on the shoe specifically.
“Think of paper for example. As a material, it is made from cellulose. We don’t worry about using too much paper in our day-to-day activity, because we know that after we use it, we can throw it in our compost, in our soil, it degrades, and becomes part of our soil and nature so we’re not worried.
“So if we make the same type of technology, whether it’s a plastic that acts like paper — it degrades, composts and is assimilated into our environment without any toxic residue, we consider it safe.”
Biodegradability in the scientific community does not simply mean broken down, said Mekonnen.
“Rather than breaking down into smaller pieces, which is a physical size reduction — you know a typical plastic, it’s a large size and if it disintegrates into small pieces, the size would be micro, but you still have plastic at a molecular level. It’s still dangerous to our environment,” he said.
Instead, if something is biodegradable, it means microorganisms can use it as a source of carbon.
“So what happens is, similar to paper, if microorganisms can use it as a carbon source, you know they can chew it, consume the carbon and basically convert it into soil.”
Mekonnen said natural latex rubber is biodegradable in principle but depends on the processes done to it such as curing.
Houle said he spent more than two years developing his idea for a shoe that can biodegrade, especially working with another company he did not want to name to create the biodegradable compound that makes up the midsole.
The shoes will not start to break down while you are using them, said Houle. The compound needs to be exposed to a combination of moisture, heat and microbes found in dirt to start activating the process of biodegradation, he said.
Other ingredients expand the molecular structure, which allows more microorganisms to penetrate and break down polymer chains in the compound.
“Essentially the way that it kind of works, it’s a similar compound to what you see in athletic shoes right now, so it’s very sturdy and very soft. But we’ve tweaked it a bit.”
Houle said he worked with this company to develop and test the material.
“After about 18 months, the outsole will biodegrade up to 53 per cent and it should be fully biodegraded in about three years,” he said.
At press time, more than $13,000 has been raised on a Kickstarter campaign, which is open until Nov. 26.
Houle said he got his start working for a sales agency in Kitchener where he sold shoes for companies like Keen, Emu and Simple Shoes. Eventually, he began designing and creating shoe prototypes with the company, leaning on his background in graphic design and animation.
Houle said his next step, assuming the Kickstarter campaign goes well, will be to look for venture capital.
To learn more, visit the Johnny Kickstarter campaign page at kickstarter.com/projects/luchoule/johnny-the-shoe-thatgrows-into-a-tree/description.