OXMAN Unveils the O° Shoe – a 100% Biodegradable Shoe made without Petrochemicals, producing Zero Microplastics
07 March 2025: OXMAN, a design lab whose mission is to create and deliver nature-centric products and environments to its clients and the natural world, has unveiled O°, a biomaterial, digital, and robotic technology platform that powers the production of biobased textiles and wearables that are 100% biodegradable when disposed of, made entirely with organic material and without petrochemicals or glues, and producing no microplastics. O° (pronounced “O-Zero”) removes the complexity inherent in conventional fabrication processes, enabling the creation of consumer products from one material, under one roof, with minimal human intervention – through a nearly zero-waste process.
The Oº collection is made using patent pending OXMAN technology that integrates digital, material, biological and robotic innovations and uses a single organic material to create 100% biobased consumer products.
OXMAN unveils the Oº shoe – a 100% biodegradable shoe made without petrochemicals, producing zero microplastics. Learn more about Oº and OXMAN at oxman.com/projects/o0. The Oº collection is made using patent pending OXMAN technology that integrates digital, material, biological and robotic innovations and uses a single organic material to create 100% biobased consumer products. © 2024 OXMAN. All rights reserved.
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. Nicholas Calcott, Courtesy of OXMAN.
“PHAs have long been recognized as a promising alternative to petroleum-based plastics,” noted Neri Oxman, CEO and Founder of OXMAN. “We have successfully elevated the potential of PHA through the development of O°, a new technology for the design and fabrication of products that seeks to minimize harm in its conception and nourish the environment in its afterlife. We are thrilled to unveil our first product using this new technology: the O° shoe, which is made using 100% PHA, is 100% biodegradable, and has no petrochemicals or microplastics.”
0% petrochemicals, 0% forever chemicals, 0% microplastics, and 100% biodegradable
PHAs can be produced by bacteria which consume atmospheric carbon dioxide, methane, and/or food waste, reducing carbon in the environment as they grow. They are biologically recyclable, and 100% biodegradable in ambient conditions. As a result, O° textiles and shoes do not leave behind microplastics when they decompose. O° textiles and shoes are made entirely of PHAs, so when they decompose they become one with the environment, returning to the bacteria from which they originated. However, just like traditional biodegradable materials used for apparel such as cotton, wool and silk, PHA will not biodegrade while being worn, washed, or stored.
A high-efficiency design process
O° shoes embody the versatility of PHAs by incorporating precise designs informed by the kinetics of human motion. Whether they take final form as a walking or running shoe, or ballet slipper, each shoe has a base layer of a knitted upper and outer layers that are printed on the textile to provide specific functionality including reinforcement, cushioning, strength, and pliability. The versatility and automation built into the O° platform enable rapid iterations and an accelerated development process from design to production.
A near zero-waste production process
A compact robotic system is central to the O° platform: the O° robotic system 3D prints custom PHA blends onto a textile that is 3D knitted on an industrial flatbed machine from a 100% PHA yarn produced through a process of extrusion and melt spinning. By using this knitting and printing technology to create shape and movement, OXMAN has eliminated the cut-and-sew and adhesion processes associated with traditional shoe assembly. The O° technology offers a near zero-waste production process and requires minimal human involvement and intervention, enabling local, low-cost production, minimizing the transport cost and environmental impact of the distant supply chains typical of the shoe industry.
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