Adidas’ biodegradable kicks can be dissolved in the sink
It’s thanks to Biosteel and it’s all for the good of the planet
![](https://kelsey-hobbies-preprod.go-vip.net/stuff-tv/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/adidas-biofabric-hot-stuff-lead.jpg?w=1080)
For starters, why would I want to dissolve a pair of trainers in my sink?
You know – when you’re ready to chuck them out. Put them in the regular rubbish and they’ll most likely end up in a landfill somewhere, stinking up the environment until the plastics in them break down thousands of years later. But with the Adidas Futurecraft Biofabric, that won’t be an issue.
![](https://kelsey-hobbies-preprod.go-vip.net/stuff-tv/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/11/adidas-biofabric-detail.jpg)
Explain, please. Are they made of cotton or something?
With uppers as thin as that? It wouldn’t strong enough. Nope, these are synthetic spider silk sneakers, created from a biodegradable material called Biosteel. As the name suggests, it’s high in tensile strength, which makes it the ideal basis for not only a breathable, flexible woven upper but the sole too.
Biosteel is created in a lab by fermenting genetically modified bacteria and spinning the resultant material into a silk-like substance (its inventor AMSilk says this process uses far fewer resources than plastic creation). This substance can be broken back into its gooey constituents too, by sprinkling it with a bag of magic dust* that allows the whole thing dissolve in a matter of hours.
* actually an enzyme
![](https://kelsey-hobbies-preprod.go-vip.net/stuff-tv/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/11/adidas-biofabric-front.jpg)
But an athletic shoe that’s designed to fall apart? Does that sound like a wise investment?
Right now we only have Adidas’ word that the Futurecraft Biofabric is tough enough for a couple of years of punishment – but only time will tell if the firm can convince people that dissolvable apparel is the future.
Well, I’m ready to believe. When and where can I buy a pair?
Right now, these are just prototypes, but Adidas has made noises about a proper commercial launch in 2017. So stay tuned, because your next pair of trainers might just be designed to self-destruct.