???aural:Bildanfang??????Großansicht des Bildes???The heel of the new Sergio Rossi shoe is made of liquid wood. © Sergio Rossi???aural:Bildende???

The brand Sergio Rossi, a subsidiary of the Gucci Corporation, has produced a new shoe made of renewable resources. There was a time when environmentally-friendly shoes were easily recognizable as such. Those days are over. The new shoe "EcoPump" by Sergio Rossi/Gucci is elegant and sophisticated, and includes one additional benefit – it is made of renewable resources. The heel of the shoe is formed with liquid wood, called ARBOFORM®, developed by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) in Pfinztal in collaboration with their colleagues at Tecnaro GmbH.

But what exactly is "liquid wood"? "For paper manufacturing, the pulp industry separates wood into its three main components - lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose," explains Emilia Regina Inone-Kauffmann, team leader at ICT. "Lignin, however, is a waste product in paper manufacturing. Our colleagues combine the lignin with fine natural fibres of wood, flax, hemp, sisal or other fibrous plants and natural additives like wax. The result is a synthetic granulate which can be melted down and used in injection moulding."

Automobile parts, crèche figurines, loudspeakers and urns have already been produced with the bio-plastic. "We had to technically modify the material for the shoes so that the heels would withstand the extra stress," said Jürgen Pfitzer, managing director of Tecnaro GmbH. "All it took was a few minor changes to the formula."

More information: www.fraunhofer.de/presse