Tequila-waste straws, blood-based sneakers, green burials, spider silk athletic apparel, 3D printed heart, water-filled seaweed spheres, and more: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the week of May 1st

#4 You’ve got blood on your sneakers – no, really…world’s first blood-based sneaker

In Germany, nat-2™ Designer Sebastian Thies and Eindhoven based Designer Shahar Livne have joined forces creating the world’s first sneakers made from real blood.

In most slaughterhouses, blood is drained into the sewers and waterways, or re-used as a colorant for meat. Inspired by the construction and de-construction of living subjects in the food industry, Shahar Livne developed a new handmade “bio-leather” by using fat and bones driven materials from the waste streams of slaughterhouses in the Netherlands and utilizing the wasted blood as a colorant and a plasticizer.

Other materials used in this concept shoe are finest nappa leather, glass, a real cork insole and real rubber outsoles. The shoes are made entirely by hand in Italy and all according materials are coming from the same region.

By realizing these unique sneakers nat-2™ and Shahar Livne want to bring more attention to urgent international matters such as sustainability in different animal-based industries by using nature-given resources and upcycling leftovers from those industries. But also making a point for more tolerance, open-minded thinking by raising fascination, curiosity, highlighting the wasteful and disrespectful treatment of animals and natural resources.
More on the story, here.