Imagine the soles of your shoes are made from walnut shells, your jacket is made from banana plants and the artificial turf you play on is bio-based. Sounds great, doesn't it? Even better, many of these material innovations are not dreams of the future but are available today. In the Material Lab, ISPO Munich has brought together the most important new material technologies in one place, providing a visionary glimpse of the innovations that will revolutionize the future of our industry in the coming years.
Direct to the insights:
- Algae: The versatile organism of the future
- Hemp: The rediscovery of an ancient crop
- Walnut shells and olive stones: waste becomes recyclable material
- Banana plants: fibers from plant residues
- Sugar cane: new raw material for elastane production
- Corn: raw material for a new, biologically produced elastane
- Birch bark: Sustainable rubber alternative from forestry waste
- Wood, rapeseed and even more biological raw materials for bio-based plastics
Materials technology is in a state of flux. In the search for plant-based alternatives to petroleum-based plastics and new circular solutions that turn waste into recyclable materials, materials research is currently showing impressive creativity. Around 25 start-ups, research institutes and established companies with innovative approaches presented their products in the Materials Lab of the Sustainability Hub at ISPO Munich. From new materials for textiles and hardware to food supplements and the aforementioned artificial turf, the range of new ideas was as diverse as the sports industry itself. "Our goal was to think broadly about the sports industry and reflect this diversity in the Materials Lab," explains Leonhard Nima, who curated the Material Lab area with his studio Nima. On display were both market-ready innovations and prototypes that are still in the laboratory stage and looking for production partners – but they all have one thing in common: they are at the forefront when it comes to sustainability.
Here are eight of the most exciting new raw materials and the products made from them:
How the water footprint of the textile industry can be reduced
Hemp in sport: a game changer for the industry
Biodegradable plastics - degradable polyester
ROICA and TENCEL: Textiles for a sustainable future