PLIANT™
id card
Natural rubber (primary)
composition
Hevein
building blocks
Organic
material origin
Blocks, Sheet
shape
8 – system complete and qualified
TRL
A 100% natural alternative to synthetic petroleum rubber.
Aimed towards the creation of biobased outsoles.
Properties
Durable enough for everyday wear.
Has a distinct sweet smell caused by the use of rubber from the Hevea brasiliensis tree, aka the renowned rubber tree.
Petrochemicals replaced by their patented plant-based curative - we can finally say goodbye to petroleum-cured natural rubber!
Accustomed to the industry's standards & requirements, as the company's utilizing compression molding to shape PLIANT - transforming its raw obliqueness into one gorgeous matter.
Cyclability
100% Recyclable.
100% Returnable to Earth, either mechanically or naturally - a fully circular, earth-hugging material.
APPLICATIONS
Footwearrrr! PLIANT is, after all, specifically designed to pose as a solid and stable foundation for sustainable footwear - check out their collaboration with one of the field's ancient giants, Meramec - in which they amalgamated a first-of-its-kind, one hundred percent bio-based sneaker!
The picture beside depicts the Allbirds x NFW recent sneaker collaboration.
FOOTWEAR APPLICATIONS
Outsole
Production process
Compression molding, the kind of infrastructure that follows industry intently. Two words only - rapid scalability.
Manufacturing facts
No public info as of yet regarding the time, we can only derive from already known factual information. Although, NFW certainly is known to be capable - the only news we ever hear from them are the ones regarding the company's rapid expansions & new brand collaborations.
production time
Illinois, USA - a rare facility still utilizing renewable wind energy.
the factory
Behind the screen
Luke Haverhals & Steve Zika
founders
2015
Illinois
time & place
Ralph Lauren, Porsche, Woolly, H&M, Bellroy, Richemont, Felder Felder, Camper, Pangaia, Vivobarefoot
partnerships
CERTIFICATIONS
USDA 100% Biobased Certification