Balena, a two-year-old material science company with headquarters in Milan and Tel Aviv, has introduced BioCir, a cinnamon-scented slide made of its proprietary, 100% biodegradable plastic that it hopes will help lessen unstainable amounts of plastic water and accelerate biodegradable plastic use in footwear and apparel. The first 1,000 pairs of the fashion slide were sold in the Tel Aviv market. Once finished wearing the style, consumers are being encouraged to return them to designated take-back spots throughout the city for full biodegradation at a local industrial compost facility as part of Balena’s BioCycling program. 

According to David Roubach, the Founder and CEO of Balena, some 92 million tons of textile waste is created annually worldwide with only 12 percent of apparel material recycled. The company’s biodegradable material can be treated like any other and used in both injection-molded and 3-D printed processes. 

More information can be found the brand’s website: balena.science.