Chinese footwear producers are reportedly focusing on graphene-enhanced shoes that are lightweight, self-sterilizing and deodorizing. In Jinjiang City, Fujian, China's largest production center for sports shoes, footware makers are adding graphene powder to soles, according to Xu Zhi of the Graphene Industry and Technology Research Institute in Jinjiang.

"Mass production is under way," claimed Xu, adding the weight of each shoe will soon be cut to no more than 100 grams.

Jinjiang has more than 3,000 footware companies, producing 40% of the country's sports shoes and 20% of the world's! That's a lot of shoes.

In November 2017, Graphene Flagship partners Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Italy, in collaboration with FADEL, a leading Italian shoe company, developed graphene-enhanced shoes. The new GET technology, patented by FADEL, reportedly gives the footwear better thermoregulation and freshness.