Introducing The Fully Recyclable Cirql rTPU30 Midsole

From the sustainability-focused minds at Cirql™, we’re excited to introduce Cirql rTPU30, a new, comfort midsole foam made with 30% post-consumer recycled TPU.

Cirql rTPU30 is a patented, scalable, midsole manufactured through a chemical-free, supercritical foaming process.

The 30% recycled injection foam has been granted 16 patents worldwide, with 13 more patents pending. Along with verifications like Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certification, these patents provide an added layer of confidence that the OrthoLite and Cirql supply chains are delivering precisely what it claims for our brand partners and consumers.

“Our goal is to exceed the expectations of footwear developers searching for advanced, sustainable footwear materials designed with consideration for their end-of-life,” said Glenn Barrett, founder and CEO of OrthoLite. “OrthoLite is proud to meet the staggering demand from our 550+ brand partners for more trusted solutions with Cirql rTPU30.”

It’s another innovative step from Cirql, and a potential leap forward for footwear brands toward their own climate and product sustainability goals.

Cirql rTPU30 Details

• Materials: Cirql rTPU30 is made from 30% post-consumer recycled TPU and 70% virgin TPU.
• Applications: Comfort footwear
• Manufacturing: Any factory that has a supercritical foaming process can manufacture rTPU30 without chemicals, and using just inert gasses, like nitrogen. The rTPU30 midsoles can either be a glueless, single material bottom unit with a co-molded TPU outsole or can be conventionally bonded to all outsoles currently on the market.
• Compliance: Cirql’s rTPU30 meets 2024 compliance standards by incorporating 30-percent GRS-certified, post-consumer recycled TPU materials directly into the foam using a patented technique exclusive to Cirql’s chemical-free supercritical injection foaming process.
• Tested and Verified: The Cirql rTPU30 material has been tested by third-party labs for specifications and durability and passes all existing tests for midsole specs.
• Recyclable: As with all TPU foams, rTPU30 has the potential to be fully recyclable at the end of its useful life at select recycling facilities. We encourage brands and other stakeholders to establish take-back programs that make this potential a reality for most consumers.

“Cirql represents not only an entirely new product and patented foaming process for OrthoLite, it also is an opportunity to minimize waste and pollution on a wide scale across all footwear,” said Matt Thwaites, Vice President and General Manager of Cirql. “The big picture goal of Cirql is to help move the footwear industry toward true circularity, by reducing carbon footprints, delivering more sustainable materials solutions, and eliminating the use of hazardous chemicals in the manufacturing process. We are excited for the future of footwear as well as the upcoming announcements that will continue to come from Cirql this year.”

Cirql rTPU30 is available to footwear brands now.