In March 2022, Cirql was introduced to the world with a clear mission: To create footwear material solutions that are both circular and able to be scaled.
Cirql has since introduced Cirql rTPU30, a fully recyclable foam, and Cirql Zero, a fully biodegradable (via industrial composting) foam. The material innovations alone can help move the global footwear industry toward sustainability. But it is the scalable production process for these materials that will turn a small step forward into a meaningful and measurable positive impact.
In order to continue pushing innovation, Cirql’s first step was to build out a best-in-class, manufacturing and development headquarters.
This facility, the Cirql Center of Excellence, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is the heart of Cirql and the testing ground for exploring more sustainable innovations for the entire footwear industry.
“Big goals require big commitments, and we’re 100-percent in when it comes to commercializing an innovation that has the potential to build such an incredible positive impact for the footwear industry,” explains Matt Thwaites, VP and General Manager of Cirql.
Local Talent, Local Economy, Global Impact
The first task in getting Cirql off the ground was to build a world-class team at the Center of Excellence. We pulled talent from all over the world who shared our vision of a more sustainable footwear industry.
For reasons having nothing to do with talent, executives across the big snapshot of global manufacturing tend toward foreign born. Cirql bucks this trend by actively seeking and promoting Vietnamese professionals.
Community engagement is one of our operational guiding principles. Prioritizing local high-level managers and function leaders is one way we ensure we’re connected to–and contributing appropriately to the Ho Chi Minh City community.
Our people are our most important asset and sustainability applies to the workplace, too. Providing a rewarding, safe, and healthy work environment is always a top priority. Our goal is to provide long-term career opportunities, marked by good health, happiness, and prosperity.
Solar: A More Energy Efficient Building
The Cirql building in Ho Chi Minh City has been retrofitted with over 4,300 solar panels that can generate a 2-megawatt power capacity. At full capacity, this array not only reduces the need for non-renewable energy sources, it also can lower the interior temperature and create a more comfortable working environment for our team.
Zero Waste Production and GRS Certification
Production at the Center of Excellence has achieved GRS for Cirql rTPU30.
Chemical-Free, Supercritical Foaming
Cirql products (Cirql Zero and Cirql rTPU30) are produced using a chemical-free, supercritical foaming process that can be replicated in any factory with supercritical foaming capacity. Whereas conventional and EVA-plastic foams are made by injecting up to 15 (often toxic) chemicals into the production cycle, Cirql foams are created by only heat, speed, pressure, and a bit of nitrogen gas (the same as the air we breathe).
Added bonuses to supercritical foaming: Speed. Safer for factory workers (in terms of fewer chemicals). Produces foam with consistent and exceptional quality
Setting a Higher Bar for Standard Operating Procedures
The Center of Excellence is where the Cirql team establishes standard operating procedures (SOPs) and best practices for the T1 factories that ultimately will produce Cirql products in-house using their own supercritical foaming machines.
We continuously monitor and evaluate in-house runs for opportunities to improve. Our team builds exacting and transparent SOPs for quality, aesthetics, performance and sustainability.
Consistency is the crux. Brand partners and T1 factories will know exactly what’s required to create repeatable and scalable results from the first run to the last.
Stepping Into the Future
Cirql and its Center of Excellence are aiming for nothing short of a revolution in how all brands make shoes.
“Cirql is proving that modern footwear can have circular, end-of-life solutions at a scale that meaningfully lowers the impact of the footwear industry,” Thwaites adds. “At the Center of Excellence, we’re not waiting to learn about better approaches. We’re actively developing scalable solutions across the footwear supply chain.”
