Compound Footwear

 News 

Bath Spa Studio resident takes a step into the future of footwear with sustainable trainers

Wednesday, 1 November, 2023

A resident of The Studio - Bath Spa University’s innovation, research and enterprise hub - has unveiled a new brand of trainers designed to revolutionise both the motorsport and footwear industries’ approach to sustainability.  

Alex Witty, who grew up in Bath, founded Compound Footwear while he was studying Sustainable Product Design at the University of Brighton during the 2020 Covid lockdown. He is currently a resident at The Studio, which provides space, support and funding for local micro-businesses, Bath Spa University students, academics, and graduates to grow their ideas into sustainable businesses. 

Compound Footwear trainers use waste motorsport tyres, eco leather and recycled materials to create a unique, recyclable solution to the environmental pollution generated by both fast-fashion and tyre waste, where 22 billion shoes end up in landfill and a billion tyres reach the end of their lives each year. 

The idea for the shoes came from Alex’s passion for sustainability and a bit of Covid-era ingenuity. Talking about the company’s origins, Alex said:  

“As the university facilities were closed due to Covid, it forced me to convert my bedroom into a workshop, where I was recycling materials such coffee and ocean plastic in rows of panini presses and melting seaweed polymers in the student kitchen. I wasn’t winning any Flatmate of the Year awards that year! 

“It was during this time that the Australian Grand Prix was cancelled and I heard that 1,800 brand-new tyres were scrapped and shipped back to the UK to be incinerated. I was shocked to find out that most motorsport tyres are burnt after each race and felt that surely I could find a better use for them.”  

Alex spent two years engaging with tyre manufacturers, shoe producers, material scientists and race series organisers, including Formula 1 and Formula E. After researching and testing tyre recycling methods and exploring other motorsport waste materials, such as scrap carbon fibre, race suits and motorsport clothing, Alex came up with his winning shoe design. 

Compound Footwear trainers are made using a patented process to combine used race tyre rubber with recycled natural rubber to create the shoe soles. The uppers are made from waste leather and recycled polyester lining and laces. The shoes can also be recycled into 100% reusable raw materials to make new shoes and other products. 

“Our objective is to avoid the use of virgin fossil fuels, reduce the number of different materials that make most trainers un-recyclable, and incorporate sustainable, recycled materials that not only reduce environmental impact, but are also an attractive step towards a cleaner, greener future,” Alex said. 

Caroline Anstey, The Studio Manager, said: 

“Alex has been a resident of The Studio since it first opened in 2019 and we are delighted to see his early work on sustainable trainers, exploring self-powering shoes that could charge an iPhone, grow into his new company, Compound.” 

Compound Footwear has received substantial support from the world of motorsport, as well as funding from Innovate UK, Santander and Verizon amongst others. The first range of Compound Footwear trainers launched on 24 October via a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign.  

Find out more about Compound Footwear and how to grab your own pair of sustainable trainers by visiting their website.