The Danish company Ecco together with the Design School Kolding created the Ecco Sealo collection made from 100% leather discards, marine plant life and seaweed. The project was nominated in the 2018 Visionary Concept category and granted the Danish Design Award, thanks to its virtuous example of circular sustainability and its alternative solution to waste disposal, which every year sees 300 million pairs of shoes thrown away.

“The cooperation between ECCO and Design School Kolding – said the jury about the project – aims in particular to address the circularity problem seen from a design and trade point of view and is an important factor in the development of long-term solutions.”

The Sealo collection features three models made from harvested seaweed and marine plant life residuals, along with leftover leather scraps coming from the tannery owned by Ecco. Worked together, they are transformed into a granular material, which, once processed, assumes the shape and characteristics of a resistant material suited to shoe production.