Osnabrück, Germany — Huntsman Corporation, in partnership with Steitz Secura, has unveiled an advanced polyurethane (PU) solution that significantly enhances circularity in safety footwear manufacturing. Together the companies have introduced a new DALTOPED® polyurethane midsole system capable of integrating recycled PU content without sacrificing performance — establishing a new benchmark for high-performance protective footwear.
Polyurethane plays a critical role in safety shoes, delivering both comfort and protection. Yet managing production scrap has been a persistent challenge. Huntsman has turned this challenge into opportunity through its footwear innovation expertise. Collaborating with Steitz Secura and an external partner, Huntsman developed a method to reuse factory PU waste by incorporating recycled PU into new shoe components — all within the DALTOPED® system, which works seamlessly with existing processing and chemical workflows.
Wolfgang Burkhard, Head of PUR at Steitz Secura, commented:
“By reworking our own PU scrap into new midsoles with 20% recycled content, and ramping up this figure to 30% with Huntsman and our technology partner, we demonstrate our commitment to sustainable innovation and smarter, cleaner production of high-performance footwear.”
Alex Stepuk, Business Development Circularity Manager at Huntsman, added:
“This initiative shows how agility, innovation and collaboration can drive meaningful progress in sustainable manufacturing. From development to rollout, our partnership with Steitz Secura has been built on shared values, transparent communication and a drive to deliver practical, low-impact solutions without increasing complexity.”
Together, they created a scalable process to recover and repurpose valuable polyurethane material — supporting demand for circular, high-performance safety footwear while maintaining uncompromised quality. Rigorous development, validation and industrial-scale trials with Steitz Secura confirmed that durability, comfort and performance remain at premium levels.
Huntsman is a global leader in polyurethane and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) systems for footwear, combining technical expertise, advanced formulation capability and a strong ecosystem of partners dedicated to sustainable materials innovation.