Creating something truly unprecedented - like a biodegradable outsole material - means stepping into the unknown, without clear expectations of how the world will respond.
2025 smashed our expectations. 👉 Swipe through the biggest surprises and highlights:
🏆 EcoAward winner – @performancedays
🏆 1st Place in "Circular Design" – @design.preis.schweiz
🏆 Winner in Biodegradable Footwear & Overall winner in Sustainability –@globalfootwearawards
🤝 Commercial partnership – Joining forces with @hanwagofficial to scale impact
👥 Growing a relentless team redefining what's possible in footwear materials
2025 showed us just how strong the appetite is for innovative and sustainable materials among footwear brands. We’re incredibly grateful (and honestly a little overwhelmed) by the many doors that opened and the partners who welcomed us with such enthusiasm to explore biodegradable solutions in their products.
We can’t wait to bring these projects to life throughout 2026 and will be sharing updates along the way.
#CircularEconomy #MicroplasticFree #StepZero #FootwearIndustry
What a wild way to finish 2025: We won the @globalfootwearawards !!!
Category Winner: Biodegradable Footwear
Overall Winner in Sustainability at the Global Footwear Awards
Out of innovators from around the world, being recognised for a category win AND as the overall sustainability winner is massive. This is a defining moment for us at Step Zero and a powerful signal that the future of footwear is changing right now.
What started as a bold idea to rethink how shoes are made has become global recognition for pushing boundaries in materials, design, and impact.
This award belongs to our relentless team, our partners who dared to innovate with us, and a community that believes footwear should leave a lighter footprint on the planet.
Thank you to the Global Footwear Awards jury and everyone who’s been part of this journey.
#StepZero #GlobalFootwearAwards #OverallWinner #BiodegradableFootwear #SustainabilityLeadership #FootwearInnovation #FutureOfFootwear
Terracoa - Biodegradable Outsole Material 👏
Winner in Biodegradable Footwear / Overall winner in Sustainability
Terracoa is a certified biodegradable, plant-based outsole material designed to reduce microplastic pollution caused by footwear abrasion. Matching the performance of synthetic materials like TPU, it delivers durability, rebound and flexibility, without the environmental cost. Injection-mould ready and industry-compatible, Terracoa proves that sustainability and performance can move forward together.
Company:@step.zero.ag
Lead Designer: Eva Bergmann
#GlobalFootwearAwards #GFA2025 #SustainableFootwear #BiodegradableDesign #CircularMaterials #FootwearInnovation #EcoDesign
Where heritage meets innovation.
The Yak Loafer combines 140 years of Bavarian bootmaking with breakthrough material science.
The outsole material is a mixture of biodegradable (ISO 13432 certified) and renewable raw materials from sources like wheat production waste streams.
Crafted to perform.
Available now at @hanwagofficial .
#Hanwag #FootwearDesign #StepZero #QualityFootwear #FootwearIndustry #MaterialInnovation #ProductLaunch #SwissTechnology
When @hanwag created the Yak Loafer, they had a vision: a boot that honoured traditional craftsmanship with thoughtful material choices. 🌱
Yak leather upper? Check. Wool felt lining? Check. But the outsole? That's where most brands face a challenge.
Traditional synthetic outsoles release microplastics through wear. Recycled options still end in waste and shed particles during use.
Hanwag needed something different. Enter: Step Zero's outsole material. A mixture of biodegradable (ISO 13432 certified) and renewable raw materials, including waste streams from wheat production.
The Yak Loafer tells a complete story; every component is thoughtfully selected to meet performance standards.
What this proves for the industry: material innovation is advancing.
The technology exists. The materials perform.
#Hanwag #FootwearDesign #StepZero #QualityFootwear #FootwearIndustry #MaterialInnovation #ProductLaunch #SwissTechnology
From lab to launch in 9 months.
Our first commercial partnership with @hanwagofficial : the Yak Loafer now features Step Zero's outsole material.
When 140 years of Bavarian craftsmanship meet Swiss material innovation, you get outsole material made of biodegradable (ISO 13432 certified) and renewable raw materials instead of synthetic plastics.
Deep appreciation to the HANWAG team for pioneering this path with us. 🙌
For product managers of footwear brands: this is your proof-of-concept.
Outsole material with biodegradable and renewable raw materials that perform - now commercially available and ready to scale.
Available now at HANWAG.
#Hanwag #FootwearDesign #StepZero #QualityFootwear #FootwearIndustry #MaterialInnovation #ProductLaunch #SwissTechnology
Nature has been designing materials for 3.8 billion years. What happens when we start learning from her? 🌿
Biomimicry, innovation inspired by nature's genius, is already here:
🍄 Fungi-inspired waste remediation breaking down construction materials on-site
🕷️ Spider silk synthesis at room temperature that's 1,000x more efficient than synthetics
🌊 Tidal stream processing for carbon-sequestering hemp textiles
🦎 Lotus leaf structures for waterproof fabrics
🍂 Textures from nature for antibacterial surfaces
At Step Zero, nature guides our approach: outsoles that perform like traditional materials, then biodegrade into soil. 🌱
When we work with nature's systems instead of against them, performance and planet advance together.
➡️ Swipe to see biomimicry examples changing material science
Source: @learnbiomimicry
#SustainableFootwear #CircularEconomy #EcoFootwear #ZeroWasteProduction #MicroplasticFree #SustainableManufacturing #StepZero #FootwearIndustry #GreenProduction
We’re still buzzing from @design.preis.schweiz ⚡
Big thanks to the committee who shared these unforgettable moments from the ceremony.
Incredible to see the innovation and creativity recognised this year. And we feel honoured to stand among such inspiring peers.
Still feeling the energy, the gratitude, and the firm belief that circular design works.
Thank you to the jury, our team, our partners — and everyone building this future with us.
#SustainableFootwear #CircularEconomy #EcoFootwear #ZeroWasteProduction #MicroplasticFree #SustainableManufacturing #StepZero #FootwearIndustry #GreenProduction #designpreisschweiz #dps25 #swissdesign #productdesign
Microplastics travel through our shared world — carried by wind, rain, and ocean currents that connect every region. 🌍
These tiny particles move through soil and water, reaching plants, marine life, and our food. Scientists estimate that each of us consumes up to 52,000 microplastic particles every year.
But this story is also about progress. Across industries, new materials and smarter design are reshaping the future of sustainability.
Each sector has the opportunity to innovate. In footwear, material innovation is redefining what happens after wear.
With the right materials, shoes can have a cleaner ending — designed to break down safely through industrial composting and leaving no microplastics behind.
When innovation meets intention, performance and planet thrive together. 🌱
Because sustainability means creating good at every step — where thoughtful design benefits both people and planet.
#SustainableFootwear #CircularEconomy #EcoFootwear #ZeroWasteProduction #MicroplasticFree #SustainableManufacturing #StepZero #FootwearIndustry #GreenProduction
🏆 We did it. First Prize in Circular Design at @design.preis.schweiz !
We're overwhelmed. Excited. Grateful. Still can't quite believe it's real.
"Can shoe abrasion feed the earth instead of polluting it?" That question drove everything. Every late-night experiment. Every doubt.
And Switzerland's design community just said: that's the future we need ✨
The jury recognised that we've proven circular principles work even in complex production systems — without compromising performance or requiring manufacturers to change a single thing.
We share this moment with the incredible nominees in our category. Each pushing boundaries in circular design and proving the future is already being built.
This award belongs to our incredible team who pushed through every setback.
To our partners at @ZHAW who trusted the science when it was just a wild idea on paper — thank you for seeing our vision.
And to every brand brave enough to pioneer circular solutions with us — you're the real innovators 🌱
170g of microplastics per person, every year, from shoe abrasion. We're solving this at the source — and this recognition proves the industry is ready.
To everyone who believed materials could work WITH nature: this is yours too. You made this happen.
Much work ahead – and we can't wait for what's next. But today we celebrate how far we've come and what we've built together.
The future is circular. And making it real feels absolutely incredible.
#SustainableFootwear #CircularEconomy #EcoFootwear #ZeroWasteProduction #MicroplasticFree #SustainableManufacturing #StepZero #FootwearIndustry #GreenProduction #DesignPrizeSwiss #CircularDesign
The conscious consumer movement is thriving. 🌱
73% of Millennials and 60% of Gen Z pay premium for brands that create real solutions and make meaningful impact.
Brands that lead with authentic sustainability and transparent action are building trust that drives lasting loyalty.
Now is the moment. Consumer trust is the new currency. ✨
Ready to connect with this growing, values-driven audience?
#SustainableFootwear #CircularEconomy #EcoFootwear #ZeroWasteProduction #MicroplasticFree #SustainableManufacturing #StepZero #FootwareIndustry #GreenProduction
T-1 day until PERFORMANCE DAYS in Munich!
Tomorrow, come explore biodegradable materials that give your brand real differentiation — without compromising performance or scalability.
No new equipment needed. No greenwashing risks. Just authentic circularity that works with your existing production.
👋 Visit us at Booth FW06. Excited to have these conversations with you tomorrow
See you there!
#SustainableFootwear #CircularEconomy #EcoFootwear #ZeroWasteProduction #MicroplasticFree #SustainableManufacturing #StepZero #FootwareIndustry #GreenProduction #CircularMaterial #CircularInnovation #PERFORMANCEDAYS #sustainability
