New Bio-Based Materials Target Footwear Manufacturing
Rheom Materials launches a platform featuring high-content bio-based alternatives for footwear components and uppers.
Updated on Oct. 21, 2026 in Materials Science
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Would you prefer to purchase footwear made from bio-based materials over traditional plastic components?
Houston-based Rheom Materials has launched a new footwear platform featuring two bio-based material alternatives. The company aims to replace traditional petroleum-based components in shoes with these new sustainable options.
Why it matters
The platform addresses the footwear industry reliance on fossil-fuel-derived materials by providing scalable, high-performance bio-based alternatives. This shift could reduce the carbon footprint of mass-produced athletic and everyday footwear.
The new lineup includes Benree, a 100 percent USDA-certified bio-based plastic, and ShoraiDura, a leather alternative containing 80 percent bio-based content. Benree has completed SATRA testing for high-heel applications, confirming its utility as a structural component.
The players
Rheom Materials
A Houston-based developer of sustainable, bio-based materials designed to replace petroleum-derived components in the footwear industry.
Bared Footwear
A footwear brand that collaborated on SATRA performance testing for the bio-based plastic Benree.
The details
Rheom Materials utilizes bio-based inputs to replace petroleum-derived precursors in footwear manufacturing. Benree serves as a rigid biodegradable plastic for internal structural components, such as toe puffs and heel counters, while ShoraiDura functions as a durable synthetic leather for shoe uppers. The company collaborated with a Los Angeles-based manufacturer to validate these materials in functional athletic and skater shoe prototypes.
Timeline
2025: Rheom Materials debuted its original Shorai material at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
2026: The company showcased a bio-based leather collection in Milan.
October 20, 2026: Publication date of the announcement.
The Tech Race
This platform represents a strategic attempt to standardize sustainable inputs within the highly competitive footwear material supply chain. It builds on the company's prior material showcases in Houston and Milan to move toward integrated, commercial-ready product development.
The transition to these materials depends on pending product-development decisions by footwear manufacturers. Consumers may eventually see these bio-based components in upcoming athletic and skater shoe lines, replacing current synthetic petroleum-based plastics and leather.
The takeaway
Rheom is moving toward wide-scale adoption by validating its plastics for structural use and its leather alternatives for athletic footwear. Industry followers should watch for future partnerships between Rheom and global footwear brands to see if these materials move into mass production.
Further reading
For more on the latest developments in sustainable industrial applications, see the Materials Science section.
Live Poll
Would you prefer to purchase footwear made from bio-based materials over traditional plastic components?
