Turning Algae into Flip Flops — MADISONS INNOVATIVE

Did you know the most popular shoes in the world are flip flops? An estimated 3 billion are made globally every year, meaning millions also end up in oceans, rivers, and landfills around the world. In order to combat this ever growing pollutant, students from UC San Diego have partnered with the startup company Algenesis Materials to create flip flops made from algae foam rather than synthetic foam.

Research shows that it generally takes decades, even centuries for plastic foam to break down. Although consumers may not see the harmful impact flip flops have on the environment, coastal islands such as Aldabra, off the east coast of Africa, are reeling from the effects. Last year scientists collected 25 tons of trash from the region alone and about a quarter of the waste were flip flops. If we continue at this rate ocean plastic will triple in the next 2 decades.

Stephen Mayfield, a biology professor at UC San Diego, is leading the effort in producing algae-oil based flip flops. Currently his team is harvesting algae in man made ponds, meaning they are using less land and less water to produce the algae oil. The Algenesis flip flop takes about 3 to 6 months to decompose in a landfill and about a year to break down in the ocean, which are both far less than the compost rate of plastic flip flops. The design of the shoe is simple, the foot bed is made of flexible foam, the out sole is made of rigid foam, and finally a cotton strap is glued on. The team mimics how the shoe would be made in a factory using molds and other machinery. Ultimately the process is very straightforward and can be easily replicated for larger scale productions.

Although algae oil is a growing trend in many industries, scientists have yet to find a solution to completely eliminate fossil fuels and replace it with something economically viable. Consumers have to demand the change they want to see and make businesses pivot to to not only give consumers what they want, but to also save the environment. Due to Covid-19 Pandemic the roll out of Algenesis flip flops has slowed, but the team is hoping to have them on the market as early as this summer. Will you be purchasing algae flip flops this season?