Good footwear should be comfortable, long-lasting and fit for purpose – not to mention affordable. Polyurethanes allow designers to meet all of these objectives.

Light but highly abrasion-resistant polyurethanes are perfect for hardwearing shoe soles, with excellent long-term mechanical properties. Polyurethane soles are practical and keep water out, while in no way limiting design potential.

Within the shoe sector, polyurethanes are found in a wide range of footwear types. Although best known for sports and trekking shoes and boots, they are also extensively used for business and fashion shoe soles, as well as high-quality safety shoes. Low-density to compact polyurethane systems are utilised for mid-soles and outer soles.

People often stop wearing shoes merely because they have gone out of fashion, but the durability of polyurethanes ensures that shoes containing this material have considerable second-hand value. When they are eventually thrown out, the polyurethanes within can be used together with other municipal solid waste as an energy source.