WO2009034289A1

WO2009034289A1 - Laminar material for use in the manufacture of footwear and method for manufacturin said laminar material

Info

Publication number: WO2009034289A1
Application number: PCT/GB2008/002263
Authority: WO
Inventors: Clinton Bailey; John Collantine; Susan Jane Langham
Original assignee: Texon Management Limited
Priority date: 2007-09-12
Filing date: 2008-06-30
Publication date: 2009-03-19
Also published as: CN101387079A; GB0717739D0

Abstract

Laminar material (10) for use in the manufacture of footwear comprises a non- woven felt layer (11) comprising recycled polyester fibres and a polyester fabric layer (12) laminated to at least one side of the non- woven felt layer (11) by a polyester adhesive (13). The recycled polyester fibres in the non- woven felt layer (11) comprise recycled scrap laminar material (10) comprising a non- woven felt layer (11) formed of polyester fibres and a polyester fabric layer (12) laminated to at least one side of the non- woven felt layer (11) by a polyester adhesive (13). A method for manufacturing the laminar material (10) is also described.

Description

Laminar Material for use in the Manufacture of Footwear and Method for Manufacturing said Laminar Material

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to laminar material. In particular, embodiments of the present invention relate to laminar material for use in the manufacture of footwear and/or to a method for manufacturing laminar material for use in the manufacture of footwear.

BACKGROUND ART

One common method for manufacturing footwear is the so-called "Strobel" or "force- lasting" method. The method involves forming a footwear upper and then attaching an insole to a peripheral edge of the upper, for example by sewing, to form a bag. A last is inserted into the formed bag to provide the upper with a desired three-dimensional shape and a sole is then provided to form the footwear. The sole may, for example, be provided by "attaching a previously formed sole unit to the upper and attached insole by use of a suitable adhesive or by injection-moulding the sole directly onto the upper and attached insole. It will be understood that the upper and the stitches attaching the upper to the insole must be sufficiently robust to withstand insertion of the last into the formed bag, and it is thus important to ensure that the insole has sufficient tensile strength and stitch-holding capability.

It is known to form insoles for use in the force lasting method from laminar material which comprises a plurality of different materials. One currently known laminar material used for the production of such insoles comprises coloured Ethyl Vinyl

Acetate (EVA) foam with a polyester fabric backer secured using a polyurethane latex adhesive. Typically, the EVA foam is required for comfort, the polyester fabric backer for reinforcement and the polyurethane latex adhesive to combine the EVA foam and the polyester fabric' backer with sufficient extension strength to allow the force lasting process. A sheet of the laminar material is cut to form insoles having a desired shape, and this necessarily results in the production of scrap laminar material. The scrap laminar material cannot be recycled due to the three incompatible materials that are used to form it, namely EVA foam, polyurethane latex adhesive and a polyester backer fabric. Consequently, it must be disposed of in landfill or otherwise, which is highly undesirable from both commercial and environmental perspectives.

It would, therefore, be desirable to provide an improved laminar material for use in the manufacture of footwear and/or an improved method for manufacturing laminar material for use in the manufacture of footwear.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided laminar material for use in the manufacture of footwear, the laminar material comprising: a non- woven felt layer comprising recycled polyester fibres; a polyester fabric layer laminated to at least one side of the non-woven felt layer by a polyester adhesive; wherein the recycled polyester fibres in the non-woven felt layer comprise: recycled scrap laminar material comprising a non-woven felt layer formed of polyester fibres and a polyester fabric layer laminated to at least one side of the non- woven felt layer by a polyester adhesive.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing laminar material for use in the manufacture of footwear, the method comprising the steps of:

(i) providing scrap laminar material comprising a non-woven felt layer formed of polyester fibres and a polyester fabric layer laminated to at least one side of the non-woven felt layer by a polyester adhesive; (ii) granulating the scrap laminar material; (iii) heating the granulated scrap laminar material to form a molten mixture of recycled polyester material; (iv) extruding and chopping the molten mixture of recycled polyester material to form recycled polyester fibres;

(v) forming a recycled hon- woven felt layer using the recycled polyester fibres; (vi) laminating a polyester fabric layer to the recycled non- woven felt layer using a polyester adhesive.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided footwear material for force lasted footwear, the footwear material comprising: a polyester fabric having a weight in the range 50 grams to 200 grams per square metre; a non-woven felt secured to the polyester fabric by a polyester adhesive, the non-woven felt being formed from polyester fibres and having a weight in the range 250 grams to 800 grams per square metre; the footwear material having a thickness in the range 2 mm to 6 mm. •

Optional, but sometimes preferred, features of the invention are defined in the claims.

DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a force lasting process for the manufacture of footwear; and

Figure 2 is a schematic cross-section of laminar material for use in the manufacture of footwear.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Recycling of material, and in particular scrap material from industrial processes, is becoming increasingly important in terms of protecting resources, reducing costs and avoiding landfill charges. However, necessary capabilities of the materials must be maintained. For example, with regard to footwear manufacture, and in particular footwear manufacture utilising force lasted or Strobel construction techniques, it is necessary to provide an insole material which can remain functional in terms of presenting the upper about a shoe last in an appropriate manner to allow a unitary sole or an injection moulded sole to be associated with the upper;

Figure 1 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of footwear 1 with an inserted last 2. As can be seen, the footwear 1 comprises an upper 3 which is attached about its peripheral edge to an insole 4 by stitches 5, the insole 4. and attached upper 3 together defining a bag into which the last 2 is inserted. It will be appreciated that the laminar material from which the insole 4 is formed should be relatively robust in order to withstand insertion of the last into the bag and enable appropriate presentation of the upper 3.

A sole is secured to the upper 3 and is shown in Figure 1 by a broken line 6. The sole 6 may be a pre-formed unitary component and, therefore, attached by adhesive or alternatively the assembly of the last 2, upper 3 and insole 4 may be located within a moulding press and the sole 6 injection-moulded about the upper 3 and insole 4.

As indicated above, the laminar material from which the insole 4 is formed must be able to withstand insertion of the last 2 into the bag and also withstand the adhesion, process or the injection moulding process that is used to attach the sole 6 to the upper 3 and insole 4. In such circumstances, in deciding upon the laminar material from which to form the insole 4, care must be taken with regard to achieving the necessary extension with strength. It would also be advantageous if the laminar material could provide an aesthetically pleasing upper surface within the footwear 1. It is understood that the footwear 1 may be a shoe or a sports shoe commonly referred to as a trainer or sneaker.

In view of the above, the laminar material must be able to achieve the necessary operational performance _^ and also be cut to the appropriate insole shape to allow stitching of the insole 4 to the peripheral edge of the upper 3. When cutting the laminar material from a sheet or web, it will be understood that unused excess material, hereinafter referred to as 'scrap laminar material', is left behind. Embodiments of the present invention provide laminar material for use in the manufacture of footwear which is formed substantially of the same material type. This material type is polyester and, in accordance with embodiments of the invention, scrap laminar material can be recycled to form recycled polyester fibres, and those recycled polyester fibres can then be used to manufacture laminar material for use in the manufacture of further insoles 4 for footwear 1.

By having a substantially 100% polyester laminar material subject to contamination, difficulties with regard to separating out different material types are eliminated and therefore the whole of any scrap laminar material can simply be recycled and used in the manufacture of further laminar material. Some material costs can, therefore, be recovered.

Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of laminar material 10 for use in the manufacture of footwear in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The laminar material 10 comprises a non- woven felt layer 11 and a fabric layer 12 laminated to one side of the non-woven felt layer by an adhesive 13. Although the non- woven felt layer 11, the fabric layer 12 and the adhesive 13 are shown spaced apart in Figure 2, this is for illustration purposes only and they would, in practice, be in intimate contact.

The principal requirements of the laminar material 10 are that it should provide appropriate robustness when used to form an insole 4 to allow the force lasting process, as described above with reference to Figure 1, as well as a sufficient cushion depth.

Traditionally, the cushion depth has been achieved through use of a foam such as EVA. The fabric layer 12 is typically woven to provide wear resistance and strength for the footwear material. The fabric layer 12 can also provide an aesthetically pleasing surface- by carrying a decorative coating or through use of dying or appropriate weaving so that a pattern can be seen. The non-woven felt layer 11 and the fabric layer 12 are both formed from a polyester base. Similarly, the adhesive 13 is a polyester adhesive. The whole of the laminar material 10 is thus formed from polyester derivatives. Consequently, scrap laminar material that remains after the laminar material 10 has been cut to provide an insole 4 for footwear can be recycled to form further laminar material 10 for use in the manufacture of footwear.

In accordance with embodiments of the invention, scrap laminar material that remains after an insole 4 has been cut from the aforesaid laminar material 10 is initially granulated using a suitable apparatus, such as an Erema thermoplastic recycling machine which comprises a chopping arrangement in conjunction with an extruder.

Typically, the scrap laminar material is initially chopped up without causing the material to overheat. The chopped scrap laminar material is then fed directly into a pelletising extruder which transforms the chopped scrap laminar material into pellets or granules of a size suitable for use in an extruding apparatus.

The granules of scrap laminar material are then heated, typically to a temperature in the order of 250°C, to form a molten mixture of recycled polyester material which is extruded at the aforesaid temperature and chopped to form recycled polyester fibres. Those recycled polyester fibres are then used to form a recycled non-woven felt layer 11 which is finally laminated to a polyester fabric layer 12 using a polyester adhesive 13, thereby forming laminar material 10 for use in the manufacture of footwear. The laminar material 10 thus formed can be considered to be at least partially recycled.

The non- woven felt layer 11 as indicated above generally provides the laminar material 10 with appropriate cushioning. The choice of the polyester fibres, both in terms of weight and consolidation density, for the non- woven felt layer 11 is important in determining its capabilities.

In typical embodiments, the recycled polyester fibres that are used to form the non- woven felt layer 11 comprise a mixture of recycled scrap, laminar material and further polyester material. Further polyester material is used to ensure that the resultant recycled polyester fibres have the necessary fibre properties for use in the non-woven felt layer 11.

Accordingly, in the process outlined above for manufacturing the laminar material 10, further granulated polyester material is typically mixed -with the granulated scrap laminar material before the mixture is then extruded and chopped to form the recycled polyester fibres. Typically, the recycled polyester fibres comprise approximately 20% by weight of the scrap laminar material and approximately 80% by weight of the further polyester material. However, adequate fibre properties may be still be achieved if the recycled polyester fibres comprise up to 50% by weight of the recycled scrap laminar material.

In some embodiments, the further granulated polyester material comprises virgin polyester material. In other embodiments, the further granulated polyester material comprises recycled polyester material recovered from other suitable sources.

With regard to the fibre blend for the non-woven felt layer 11 , it will be appreciated that this is important to achieve an appropriate cushioning effect. If too fine a denier polyester fibre is used, there will be insufficient cushioning effect, whilst if too high a denier polyester fibre is used, the laminar material 10 will have insufficient density to achieve the tensile performance required for the manufacture of footwear using the force lasted or Strobel technique.

In most circumstances, it is desirable to use a blend of two or more polyester fibres to form the non- woven felt layer 11. Typically, two fibre weights are utilised, appropriately consolidated and interlocked to provide the non-woven felt layer 11 with the desired characteristics. The actual fibre blend will depend upon the desired operational requirements, but generally higher denier first polyester fibres will be included to achieve a cushioning effect whilst generally lower denier second polyester fibres will be included to increase density and, therefore, tensile performance. The first fibres used to form the non-woven felt layer 11 comprise the recycled polyester fibres described above which have been formed by recycling the scrap laminar material. In some embodiments, the second fibres comprise virgin polyester fibres. In other embodiments, the second fibres comprise further recycled polyester fibres which have also been formed by recycling the scrap laminar material in the manner described above.

As indicated, the actual fibre blend will depend upon requirements of tensile performance and cushioning, but typically the weight of the first (recycled) polyester fibres will be in the range 4 to 20 denier, possibly 4 to 8 denier, and the weight of the second polyester fibres (whether they are virgin polyester fibres or further recycled polyester fibres) will be in the range 1 to 5 denier. The first (recycled) polyester fibres typically constitute at least 50% by weight of the non- woven felt layer 11, with preferably around 80% by weight of the non- woven felt layer 11 being formed from the first (recycled) polyester fibres. The second (virgin or recycled) polyester fibres typically constitute up to 30% by weight of the non- woven felt layer 11, with typically in the order of 20% being preferable. Particular advantages have been found with regard to first (recycled) polyester fibres having a denier in the order of 6.3 and second (virgin or recycled) polyester fibres having a denier in the order of 3, in appropriate proportions as described above.

As indicated above, the density of the non- woven felt layer 11 is particularly important with regard to achieving the necessary tensile strength capabilities. The non-woven felt layer 11 may have a weight in the order of between 250 and 800 grams per square metre, and more typically between 400 and 650 grams per square . metre, in order to achieve the desired tensile strength. Generally that tensile strength is specified in order to meet manufacturer's requirements with regard to force lasted footwear production techniques. A typical specification is that when subject to a tensile force in the order of 35 Newtons, the laminar material 10 does not extend more than 5% beyond its initial relaxed state. In order to obtain a suitable cushioning effect, it will be understood that the laminar material 10 must have a sufficient depth for comfort. Comfort is relative but generally it is found that by providing laminar material 10 which has a depth in the order of at least 2mm, typically up to substantially in the order 4.5mm, and possibly up to 6mm, utilising available fibres and fabrics, an appropriate comfort level can be achieved. The objective is to at least match the level of comfort provided by currently used EVA foam such that, in use, the laminar material 10 according to embodiments of the invention can be interchanged with that EVA foam for footwear manufacture but, as indicated, can be recycled more easily.

The polyester fabric layer 12 is generally continuous across the surface of the laminar material 10 to provide an appropriate aesthetic surface upon which a decorative coating can be applied for visibility within footwear manufactured using the laminar material 10. It will also be appreciated that the polyester fabric layer 12 is locked in association with the non- woven felt layer 11 by the adhesive 13, and so adds to the tensile strength of the non- woven felt layer 11 in the laminar material 10. Generally, the polyester fabric layer 12 will have a weight in the range 50 to 200 grams per square metre. It will be appreciated that too thin a polyester fabric layer 12 will result in the fabric wearing too quickly and it being substantially transparent whilst too thick a polyester fabric layer 12 may be too bulky for acceptability within footwear.

In use it will be understood that an insole formed using the laminar material 10 will be subject to foot movements and abrasion. It is, therefore, important that the non- woven felt layer 11 and the polyester fabric layer 12 remain associated with each other. Effectively, the fabric layer 12 and the non- woven felt layer 11 should be locked in relative position to each other. This lock association is provided by the adhesive 13, although as will be described later, the laminar material 10 may have additional stitching to quilt the material and, therefore, improve strength and association.

Normally, the adhesive 13 will be a substantially continuous layer or film at the interface between the fabric layer 12 and the non- woven felt layer 11. A continuous layer may, however, act as a barrier to moisture penetration and absorption/desorption by the insole laminar material 10 as will be described later. In such circumstances, a near continuous layer or web of adhesive 13 may be provided, subject to retaining the lock association between the fabric layer 12 and the non- woven felt layer 11.

The adhesive 13 utilised in embodiments of the present invention is a polyester-based adhesive of appropriate strength for the desired operational performance. The polyester adhesive 13 is applied evenly over the interface between the non-woven felt layer 11 and the fabric layer 12. Any ribbing or tacking of the adhesive 13 may lead to bond failure such that under foot movement there will be relative slide between the fabric layer 12 and the non- woven felt layer 11, resulting in abrasion failure in use. It will be understood that a wrinkled or worn insole will reduce the life and acceptability of manufactured footwear. Nevertheless, subject to maintenance of a "lock" association, ribs or dimples of adhesive 13 may be provided for extra strength as anchor points. The polyester adhesive 13 may also slightly shrink on curing giving some spring bias in the laminar material 10, which may be useful when the laminar material 10 is used in the manufacture of force lasted footwear.

With regard to the non- woven felt layer 11, as indicated the depth of the layer has an effect upon cushioning. Generally it is not possible to provide multiple layers of felt which are just tacked together as there would be insufficient strength between the layers. It will be understood that the laminar material 10 according to the present invention will be subject to significant stresses. The bottom layer would be stuck to the sole 6 (Figure 1) and so robustly secured but flexed whilst upper parts would be secured to the upper 3 and be subject to foot movements. In such circumstances there would be a significant possibility of de-lamination between the upper and sole layers of the laminar material 10.

Where necessary to improve strength, such as with regard to footwear used in work environments or highly physical sports, the laminar material 10 used to form the insole 4 may be quilted. For example, polyester thread stitches in an appropriate pattern may be applied across the laminar material 10 to reinforce it. A number of stitches per unit length or area of the polyester thread can be altered dependent upon operational requirements. It will also be understood that by utilising stitches in a quilt pattern, additional strength can be provided in different parts of the laminar material 10 as required, but then the insoles must be cut from marked positions on the laminar material 10.

Generally, the polyester fabric layer 12 will only be applied to one side of the laminar material 10. This will reduce costs. The polyester fabric layer 12 is particularly utilised to provide an aesthetically pleasing surface and, therefore, providing a further polyester fabric layer 12 on a bottom side to be engaged by a sole 6, whether a unitary sole secured by adhesive or an injection moulded sole, may be unnecessary.

By use of the non- woven felt layer 11 and an appropriate polyester fabric layer 12, it will be understood that an open structure can be provided. The open structure of the laminar material 10 can absorb and desorb moisture (such as sweat) improving the environment of the foot within the footwear formed using the laminar material 10. The laminar material 10 may also be more receptive to deodorising and biocide agents applied after footwear manufacture. In comparison, prior EVA foams are of a closed structure and, therefore, have reduced capability with regard to absorption and desorption of moisture (such as sweat). It will be appreciated that in order to achieve absorption and desorption of moisture (such as sweat), care must be taken with regard to the adhesive 13. If the adhesive 13 is a continuous film, the adhesive 13 may present a barrier to moisture absorption and desorption. In such circumstances, the adhesive 13 may incorporate apertures or discontinuities to allow absorption and desorption by the non- woven felt 11.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in the preceding paragraphs with reference to various examples, it should be understood that various modifications may be made to those examples without departing from the scope of the present invention, as claimed.

For example, the molten mixture of recycled polyester material may be extruded to form recycled polyester thread which may itself be used in the manufacture of the laminar material 10 according to embodiments of the present invention. The recycled polyester thread may, for example, be used to form a recycled polyester fabric layer, and the recycled polyester fabric layer so formed may be laminated to the recycled non-woven felt layer using a polyester adhesive. The recycled polyester thread could alternatively or additionally be used to quilt the laminar material 10 in the manner outlined above.

The needle penetration holes utilised in forming the non-woven felt layer 11 may be utilised by the adhesive 13 in order to provide cross-wise extending pegs in the non- woven felt layer 11 to provide greater anchoring and therefore lock retention relative to the polyester fabric layer 12.

Claims

1. Laminar material for use in the manufacture of footwear, the laminar material comprising: a non- woven felt layer comprising recycled polyester fibres; a polyester fabric layer laminated to at least one side of the non-woven felt layer by a polyester adhesive; wherein the recycled polyester fibres in the non-woven felt layer comprise: recycled scrap laminar material comprising a non-woven felt layer formed of polyester fibres and a polyester fabric layer laminated to at least one side of the non- woven felt layer by a polyester adhesive.

2. Laminar material according to claim 1, wherein the recycled polyester fibres comprise a mixture of said recycled scrap laminar material and further polyester material.

3. Laminar material according to claim 2, wherein the recycled polyester fibres comprise up to 50% by weight of the recycled scrap laminar material.

4. Laminar material according to claim 3, wherein the recycled polyester fibres comprise 20% by weight of the recycled scrap laminar material and 80% by weight of the further polyester material.

5. Laminar material according to any of claims 2 to 4, wherein the further polyester material comprises virgin polyester material.

6. Laminar material according to any of claims 2 to 4, wherein the further polyester material comprises recycled polyester material.

7. Laminar material according to any preceding claim, wherein the non-woven felt layer comprises a blend of the recycled polyester fibres and further polyester fibres.

8. Laminar material according to claim 7, wherein the fibre blend comprises at least 50% by weight of the recycled polyester fibres and up to 30% by weight of the further polyester fibres.

9. Laminar material according to claim 8, wherein the fibre blend comprises between 70 and 90% by weight of the recycled polyester fibres and between 10 and 30% by weight of the further polyester fibres.

10. Laminar material according to claim 9, wherein the fibre blend comprises 80% by weight of the recycled polyester fibres and 20% by weight of the further polyester fibres.

11. Laminar material according to any of claims 7 to 10, wherein the recycled polyester fibres have a first weight and the further polyester fibres have a second weight.

12. Laminar material according to claim 11, wherein the first weight is in the range 4 to 20 denier and the second weight is in the range 1 to 5 denier.

13. Laminar material according to any preceding claim, wherein the polyester adhesive is provided at discrete locations between the non-woven felt layer and the polyester fabric layer.

14. Laminar material according to any of claims 1 to 12, wherein the polyester adhesive comprises a continuous adhesive film between the non-woven felt layer and the polyester fabric layer.

15. Laminar material according to any preceding claim, wherein either one or both of the non-woven felt layer and the polyester fabric layer has an open-cell structure.

16. Laminar material according to any preceding claim, wherein the polyester fabric layer has a weight in the range 50 to 200 grams per square metre, the non- woven felt layer has a weight in the range 250 to 800 grams per square metre, and the laminar material has a thickness in the range 2 to 6 mm.

17. An insole for footwear, the insole being formed of laminar material according to any preceding claim.

18. Footwear including laminar material according to any of claims 1 to 16.

19. A method for manufacturing laminar material for use in the manufacture of footwear, the method comprising the steps of:

(v) forming a recycled non- woven felt layer using the recycled polyester fibres; (vi) laminating a polyester fabric layer to the recycled non- woven felt layer using a polyester adhesive.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein the granulated scrap laminar material is heated to a temperature of 250°C during step (iii) to form the molten mixture of recycled polyester material.

21. A method according to claim 19 or claim 20, wherein step (ii) comprises mixing further granulated polyester material with the granulated scrap laminar material and step (iii) comprises heating the mixture of further granulated polyester material and granulated scrap laminar material to form the molten mixture of recycled polyester material.

22. A method according to claim 21, wherein step (ii) comprises mixing the further granulated polyester material with up to 50% by weight of the granulated scrap laminar material.

23. A method according to claim 22, wherein step (ii) comprises mixing 80% by weight of the further granulated polyester material with 20% by weight of the granulated scrap laminar material.

24. A method according to any of claims 21 to 23, wherein the mixture of further granulated polyester material and granulated scrap laminar material is heated to a temperature of 250⁰C during step (iii) to form the molten mixture of recycled polyester material.

25. A method according to any of claims 21 to 24, wherein the further granulated polyester material comprises granulated recycled polyester material.

26. A method according to any of claims 21 to 24, wherein the further granulated polyester material comprises granulated virgin polyester material.

27. A method according to any of claims 19 to 26, wherein step (v) comprises forming the non- woven felt layer using a blend of the recycled polyester fibres and further polyester fibres.

28. A method according to claim 27, wherein the further polyester fibres are virgin polyester fibres.

29. A method according to claim 27, wherein the further polyester fibres are further recycled polyester fibres, wherein step (iv) comprises extruding and chopping the molten mixture of recycled polyester material to form a plurality of the recycled polyester fibres and a plurality of the further recycled polyester fibres, and wherein step (v) comprises forming the non-woven felt layer using a blend of the recycled polyester fibres and the further recycled polyester fibres..

30. A method according to any of claims 27 to 29, wherein the recycled polyester fibres have a first weight and the further polyester fibres have a second weight.

31. A method according to claim 30, wherein the first weight is in the range 4 to 15 denier and the second weight is in the range 1 to 5 denier.

32. A method according to any of claims 27 to 31, wherein the fibre blend comprises at least 50% by weight of the recycled polyester fibres and up to 30% by weight of the further polyester fibres.

33. A method according to claim 32, wherein the fibre blend comprises between 70 and 90% by weight of the recycled polyester fibres and between 10 and 30% by weight of the further polyester fibres.

34. A method according to claim 33, wherein the non- woven felt layer comprises 80% by weight of the recycled polyester fibres and 20% by weight of the further polyester fibres.

35. A method according to claim any of claims 19 to 34, wherein the method further comprises extruding the molten mixture of recycled polyester material to form recycled polyester thread, forming a recycled polyester fabric layer using the recycled polyester thread, and wherein step (vi) comprises laminating the recycled polyester fabric layer to the recycled non-woven felt layer using the polyester adhesive.

36. Laminar material for use in the manufacture of footwear substantially as hereinbefore described and/or as shown in the accompanying drawings.

37. A method for manufacturing laminar material for use in the manufacture of footwear substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.