BASF, a global leader in the chemical industry, unveiled groundbreaking material solutions poised to shape the future of the footwear industry at SIMAC Tanning Tech 2026 in Italy. The company’s showcase highlighted advanced polyurethane (PU) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) technologies aimed at enhancing product durability while striving for a circular economy.
Key Findings
- BASF announced advanced PU and TPU solutions for footwear at SIMAC Tanning Tech 2026.
- New product Elastopan® SpringPURe for thermoformable midsoles delivers low density, design freedom, and lean processing.
- Promoting a closed-loop recycling concept for footwear in collaboration with DESMA.
- Presented material innovations contributing to sustainability and high performance in the footwear industry.
Technical Details
One of the core innovations presented by BASF is Elastopan® SpringPURe, a new product for thermoformable midsoles. This material achieves extremely low density while simultaneously delivering excellent cushioning and rebound elasticity. This significantly contributes to weight reduction and enhanced comfort in sports footwear like running shoes. Elastopan® SpringPURe is also well-suited for thermoforming, allowing for efficient and lean manufacturing of complex midsole designs and shapes. Furthermore, BASF introduced a closed-loop recycling concept in collaboration with DESMA, reinforcing its sustainable approach across the entire footwear lifecycle. This initiative aims to establish a system for recovering PU materials from end-of-life footwear and reusing them as raw materials for new products, thereby promoting resource circulation and contributing to waste reduction.
Background & Context
The footwear industry is a colossal market, producing billions of pairs of shoes annually, yet it faces significant environmental challenges related to its manufacturing processes and waste disposal. Foamed materials used in key components like midsoles, in particular, are often difficult to recycle, and their disposal after a product’s end-of-life contributes to environmental problems. Driven by increasing consumer environmental awareness and tightening regulations in various countries, footwear brands are under pressure to offer more sustainable and eco-friendly products. Major chemical companies like BASF providing material solutions that balance high performance with circularity represent a crucial step towards achieving the industry’s sustainability goals.
Strategic Significance & Outlook
These innovative materials and recycling concepts announced by BASF at SIMAC 2026 hold the potential to profoundly transform the future of the footwear industry. Elastopan® SpringPURe will elevate the performance and comfort of sports and casual shoes to new levels, offering brands greater design freedom and improved production efficiency. Moreover, the closed-loop recycling concept will realize waste reduction and resource efficiency, accelerating the transition to a circular economy in footwear. These technologies are expected to strengthen the fashion industry’s overall commitment to sustainability and play a vital role in providing environmentally conscious choices to consumers. BASF plans to continue driving innovation as a partner to the footwear industry.
Source: https://www.basf.com/global/en/media/news-releases/2026/09/p-26-152
Get our weekly technology intelligence — free
Receive an infographic that lets you judge at a glance whether each field’s analysis report is worth reading.
Subscribe Free — Weekly Tech Intelligence
By subscribing, you’ll receive Troy-Technical’s weekly technology intelligence newsletter.
- Your email and selected fields are used only to deliver the newsletter.
- We never share your information with third parties.
- You can unsubscribe anytime via the link in each email.
See our Privacy Policy for details.
Takes about a minute · Unsubscribe anytime
Comments