Danish fashion brand Ganni has teased a shoe made with a ‘cellulose waste’ upper, working in collaboration with start-up Simplifyber.

The US company has patented a materials stream that uses a slurry – which can be made from wood and paper waste, wool, hemp or other natural materials – combined with a manufacturing process that heats the material in moulds, setting without the standard adhesives.

Simplifyber co-founder Maria Intscher-Owrang told sportstextiles.com that its unit economics make the process cost competitive with plastics, and the aim is to move the shoe industry away from petrochemicals and towards more sustainable and efficient processes.

The CO2 emissions associated with the uppers are 33 times lower than those of traditional shoe uppers because it eliminates all of the spinning, weaving, knitting, and much of the cutting and sewing that consumes the traditional shoe-making process, she added.

The Ganni Moon Shoe is inspired by the cold gaze of the moon’s surface peeking through a mountain landscape and is designed by Sergio Lozano, a former Nike designer who created the Air Max 95. Consumers are asked to register their interest online.