#Textiles & Apparel / Garment

2022-09-12

BASF at Simac - Go!Create your shoes with BASF materials

First concept shoe made entirely from sustainable BASF materials co-created with design house Maddy Plant © 2022 BASF

Simac, the international machinery and technology exhibition for shoes, will once again be opening its doors. This year BASF (hall 14 booth, F33/F37/G34/G38) will exhibit its wide range of new solutions for the shoe industry: a concept shoe made entirely out of BASF materials, boots which stay soft even at minus 40 degrees, light and high rebound soles for safety shoes and sustainable footwear solutions. On top BASF will present 3D printed shoes as well as coatings solutions to protect the soles.

More energy@work: Light materials with high rebound

For extreme conditions: Boots that remain soft at winter temperatures

Win-win: High performance solutions are made sustainable

Bubble shoe: Creativity in times of lockdown

New dimension: Completely 3D printed high heels and climbing shoes

From sports to safety shoes: low density, high elasticity

Light and high rebound are main requirements when it comes to the midsole of sports shoes. In this field BASF is one of the top suppliers of polyurethane (PU) materials. But what is valid for sports shoes should also be true for safety shoes. High rebound which guarantees soft dampening effects and lightweight soles are decisive for the comfort also of safety shoes. BASF transferred their knowledge from the sports sector to the safety shoe sector. The result are PU materials that safety producers waited for – it allows highest productivity by the direct soling process and comes with conformance to all safety norm requirements.

Completely 3D printed high heels © 2022 BASF

Winter boots made from PU stay soft even at minus degrees

Thanks to close cooperation with boots manufacturers, BASF further improved the performance of Elastopan® polyurethane systems for boots. The result is a PU system for winter boots that provides outstanding properties: highest thermal insulation, keeping the feet warm, and provides high comfort even at low temperatures until minus 40 degrees. That makes this Elastopan® perfect for boots to wear during your winter adventure or – if combined with a toe cap – even on an oil rig in Alaska.

BASF offers a broad portfolio of sustainable footwear solutions

BASF will present a concept shoe that is entirely made of sustainable products – the athleisure shoe ‘MADGAMMA - Intertekk Saturn’. The upper of the shoe is made with the 100% recyclable monofilament fiber Freeflex™ thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The replaceable midsole consists of the comfortable and biobased Elastopan® N polyurethane series. Another replaceable midsole option is made with TPU foaming, which has a lower density, high energy return, and is recyclable.

Beside these products, other sustainable solutions such as the biomass balance approach and Ccycled Infinergy®, will be shown. BASF experts will be glad to discuss with you the right material for your environmental goals.

Footwear Design Content: In the lockdown we lived in bubbles, which now appear in award winning shoes

The creations from the last design contest of the school for design Calzaturiero Politecnico, Padua, Italy reminds us to the how we lived during Covid – like in bubbles. This feeling inspired the designers for the soles – the outsole is a transparent tread made of multiple bubbles. These bubbles enable us to look through to the midsole, which is bright and colorful. For the upper the students used recycled material from footwear and textile manufacturing scraps. The perfect combination between technology and craftsmanship can be found in the three winning shoes which are presented at Simac.

Less is more – the first in-mold coating with integrated demolding properties

Furthermore, BASF will present NovaCoat-D that combines in-mold coating and release coating in a new way. Besides its demold properties, the coating provides additional functionalities for soles such as protection against sunlight, scratches, and dirt. Thanks to its many years of expertise, BASF can offer a wide range of colors and effects. NovaCoat-D can be applied either manually or automatically.

The perfect combination between technology and craftsmanship – the winner shoe from the Footwear Design Contest 2022 from BASF and Politecnico Calzaturiero, Italy © 2022 BASF

3D Printing materials and solutions for the footwear industry

Forward AM, the brand of BASF 3D Printing Solutions GmbH, will present information at SIMAC 2022 on 3D printing materials and solutions for the complete design and development process of footwear. Along with samples of molds, lasts and soles, visitors can discover 3D printed climbing shoes made with the flexible Ultrasint® TPU01 powder. By leveraging the principles of design for Additive Manufacturing, the first individualized 3D printed climbing shoe came to life. This innovative technology not only simplifies the assembly of the shoe, but also reduces the production time required for customized footwear. Forward AM’s flexible materials, such as Ultrasint® TPU01, are based on Elastollan® by BASF, which offers customers across industries broad cross-technology solutions.

More information: http://www.simac.basf.com

C&S strengthens its governance to support its evolution

C&S announces the appointment of Marco Lucietti to its Board of Directors. With extensive international experience across the textile and denim industries, Lucietti will work alongside CEO Federico Corneli, contributing to the company’s managerial development, organizational structure and long-term strategic direction.

Carrington Textiles publishes third Sustainability Report

Carrington Textiles has announced the publication of the third Sustainability Report from the RTS Textiles Group, highlighting another year of progress towards more responsible manufacturing across its global operations. The report outlines continued investment in technologies and initiatives designed to improve environmental performance and support long-term business resilience across the Group’s manufacturing facilities in the UK, Portugal and Pakistan.

YKK develops concept EXCELLA® zipper tape using nonwoven fabric partially derived from used clothing

YKK Corporation has developed a concept version of its premium EXCELLA® zipper series made from nonwoven fabric sheets created by fiberizing used clothing and other textile materials. Based on a proposal by fashion designer Yuima Nakazato, this item was created as a result of collaboration between Nakazato, Seiko Epson Corporation and YKK. The concept zipper was incorporated as a material component for pieces in the newest YUIMA NAKAZATO Couture Collection, “INFERNO,” which was unveiled in Paris, France on July 8, 2026.

Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris highlights evolving global sourcing landscape

From 31 August to 2 September 2026, Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris will bring together more than 1,000 international exhibitors at Paris-Le Bourget Exhibition Centre. This edition reflects the new global balance of textile and apparel sourcing, highlighting a strong diversity of sourcing countries — some unexpected.

Ministry of Industry Delegation visits NatureWorks’ second global manufacturing site at Nakhon Sawan Biocomplex

NatureWorks Asia Pacific Limited welcomed a high-level delegation led by Mr. Varawut Silpa-archa, Minister of Industry, to its manufacturing site at the Nakhon Sawan Biocomplex (NBC). The visit follows the successful inauguration of the site on April 29, 2026, and highlights the role of public-private collaboration in advancing Thailand’s sustainable industrial development and bioeconomy ambitions.

Indorama Ventures advances circularity tthrough PETValue Philippines' “Zero Waste to Landfill Partnership” with Republic Cement

Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited, a global sustainable chemical company, is advancing the circular economy through a new Zero Waste to Landfill initiative at its recycling site PETValue Philippines, further demonstrating how collaboration across industries can maximize resource efficiency and reduce waste.

Networking Day 2026: Industry stakeholders unite around textile recycling

In 2026, the Industry Research Group (IRG) Polymer Recycling once again brought together some of the key stakeholders in textile recycling for its annual Networking Day. This year, the event took place at EREMA’s premises in Ansfelden, Austria. It brought together key players from across the textile recycling value chain for a day of structured exchange and in-depth discussions.