MATERIALS MATTER
MATERIALS MATTER MATERIALS MATTER

We built a better flip flop from the ground up.
Better for you and better for the planet.

Materials

TIDAL flip flops use the same material as a running shoe. For years, people saw flip flops as disposable. The only way to truly debunk that perception was to develop a product that lasted longer than summer. Better materials, better practices, better processes—to ensure that our product is better for you and the environment. With a super comfy sole beneath your feet, a supportive strap between your toes, you’re free to just be.

Tiny air bubbles
If you look closely, you’ll see teeny tiny air bubbles. It’s exactly these little bubbles that make Tidals 5x more responsive and give better rebound than the average flip flop.
Materials 01

A Sneaker
Without the Shoe

The reason why you find polyurethane in all high-end sports and performance footwear is because it is an incredibly durable and comfortable material. So we started there, to ensure comfort and quality and then worked our way back. Most flip flops are made from EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate), a much lower quality foam sole. It feels bouncy and soft at first but by the end of the day you’re basically walking on pavement. Your foot needs resilience to stand strong and stay supported. Knowing polyurethane was the best option, we next addressed its reliance on fossil fuel; partnering with our material supplier to create a sole formulation that is derived from renewable sources.

Comfort. Engineered. Comfort. Engineered.
Renewability 02

The Down and Dirty
on Renewability

Variable Biomass Oil [VBO] is the renewable* alternative we sourced to replace fossil carbon required in the petrochemical chain to make a polyurethane sole. Now, with each collection, we are able to increase renewable content while maintaining the quality you’ve come to know and depend on from polyurethane. VBO draws on varying overstock from plant and forest biomass, animal waste or municipal waste streams. The source of our biocarbon will inherently change, because it is constantly shifting based on local excess. For example, our first run of renewable carbon came from soy beans that were sitting in grain silos in the Midwest.

Renewable
In less than a year, Tidal’s soles have gone from
0% to at minimum 27% renewable* using an innovative process implementing Variable Biomass Oil [VBO].
Renewafoam 03

Quality, Innovation, Renewafoam™

An innovation needs a name: Renewafoam™ is Tidal’s proprietary sole material. A renewable based polyurethane, it represents an ongoing journey to reach our goal of a fully renewable flip flop. Since 2018 we’ve been hard at work with our material supplier, Meramec, to develop eco-friendly alternatives in footwear, even pioneering their PURbio renewables program. The Renewafoam™ mark is our secret sauce to the soles of your Tidals. To us, this has never been about being the only one, it’s about holding our industry accountable to be better. It’s about leading by example.

Our Timeline 04

A History of Innovation

Our Timeline
Our Timeline
Renewable
When you think about flip flops, there’s always a few components that can leave you a bit mystified. No treads. Straps that give you blisters. And last but not least, no support. These are the things that keep us up at night.
Product Details 05

It’s in the Details

Flip flops are usually sheet cut from rolls of EVA. Our soles are produced on the DESMA—a purpose built German shoe making machine that casts liquid polyurethane into heated molds. Think: cookie cutter vs. waffle iron—one technique leaves a lot more leftover batter. Custom machinery allows us to give our soles a detailed shape and tread. Tidals, by comparison, have no-slip treads and 8mm of arch support, while most flip flops have neither. The third outlier? Our straps. We lightly texture TIDAL straps to reduce the break-in period. We also invested in two machines: One for the right foot and one for the left. This is an important distinction because most brands make one universal strap, a cost-cutting option that sacrifices comfort.

Our patented printing process lets us get creative with patterns and prints, so we can have fun while taking a step in the right direction.
Inks + Printing 06

Getting Inked

Using a process we patented, all flop designs are printed on two large format digital UV printers. Prior to printing, each sandal is coated with a primer to ensure designs stay put season after season. Then, similar to any at-home printer, the printing begins (using Greenguard Gold Certified inks) and in about 30 minutes it's complete. This methodical process shortens the time and waste of traditional screen printing, allowing flexibility to make smaller (and precise) production runs—significantly decreasing the risk of overproduction. Our inks and colorants† are sourced from Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts and our inks are even listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, one of the most renowned sustainability rankings globally.

In our innovative process to make Tidals, we create a blown foam that is 60% air—a precisely engineered density that means you are basically walking on a cloud.
People
Planet
Factory
*Why include this asterisk? As a brand and innovator, we take our facts seriously, and work to make sure that what we say is what we mean; as well as giving you, our customer, the respect you deserve in how we disclose those facts. As we make constant progress towards the best possible flip flop, with the lowest impact on our planet, the nature of the renewability of our source will be constantly upgraded, until the entire product can be said to be renewable itself. T is for TIDAL but also TRANSPARENCY.

†Inks & Colorants Sourced From: Clariant in Holden, Massachusetts, ITNH in Manchester, New Hampshire, PAT in Lewiston, Maine
Certified B Corporation

 

TIDAL New York is B Corp Certified. Vetted and reviewed, we are proud to meet the highest standards of social and environmental impact.
1% For the Planet

 

We’re an active member of the 1% For The Planet family—Pledging 1% of gross sales to environmental non-profits.