​Industrial threads and components specialist Coats Group is building on its footwear division and boosting its sustainability credentials at the same time, launching three “innovative” structural component products “designed to support footwear brands in their pursuit of sustainable excellence”.  

Part of the Coats Footwear Rhenoprint range, the ‘RP Evolve’ heel counter, ‘RP Flow’ and ‘RP Wave’ toe puffs are each designed “to enhance performance standards, while maximising the use of sustainable materials and minimising waste”.

Engineered to be eco-friendly and certified to the Global Recycled Standard (GRS), all three products claim to offer top-tier performance.

RP Evolve is a zero waste, heel counter solution made with 70% recycled materials. Entirely free from virgin polyester and GRS certified, it can help manufacturers reduce the carbon footprint of their footwear, “without conceding any of the characteristics required for high performance applications”.

Fully customizable, RP Evolve is adaptable to a variety of footwear needs (ideal for running shoes, sports footwear, and lifestyle sneakers, it claims). It is also waterproof, for “trusted to perform in tough conditions”.

Meanwhile, RP Flow toe puff is a solution to meet the high demands of sports and performance footwear. It is made with 70% recycled content, including R-TPU and R-acrylic glass. Aligned with growing demand for eco-friendly manufacturing solutions, RP Flow has a zero-waste production process that can help optimise material use. Waterproof and durable properties, mean that this product is well-suited to high-performance applications.

And RP Wave toe puff incorporates 70% recycled materials, again such as R-TPU, R-acrylic glass, plus recycled bottle closures. Also backed by GRS certification, it delivers “the medium-to high-stiffness needed for high-pressure and high-temperature applications”.

Gunter Scharfenberger, Global director Product Innovation Sustainability at Coats Footwear, said: “Our [latest] technologies embody the continuous research and innovation we are known for. Designed to help our customers reach their sustainability goals in footwear manufacturing, these eco-friendly solutions reflect our dedication to driving meaningful progress toward a more sustainable future.”

Coat, best known for its apparel applications and performance materials, entered the footwear sector in 2022. In H1, footwear-related revenues rose 7% with the company saying its Apparel and Footwear divisions “continued to benefit from a return to normalised levels of customer buying and inventory patterns, with both divisions showing strong year-on-year growth… albeit against a weaker prior year comparator due to the impact of destocking in 2023”.