Patent ID: 7504448

Claim:
The footwear structural component selected from the group consising of heel counters, toe puffs, and inner soles; wherein said footwear structural component comprises a composition, and said composition comprises (i) at least one E/X/Y copolymer where E represents copolymerized residues derived from ethylene, X represents copolymerized residues derived from a C 3 to C 8 α,β ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid, and Y represents copolymerized residues derived from a softening comonomer selected from alkyl acrylate and alkyl methacrylate wherein the alkyl groups have from one to eight carbon atoms, wherein tha amount of X is from about 2 to about 30 weight % of the E/X/Y copolymer and the amount of Y is from 0 to about 40 weight % of the E/X/Y copolymer; (ii) from about 0.05 weight % to about 10 weight % of micropulp produced from organic fibers; said micropulp having a volume average length ranging from 0.01 micrometers to 100 micrometers and a average surface area ranging from 25 to 500 m 2 /g; wherein the micropulp is produced from organic fibers by a process comprising the steps of contacting the organic fibers with a medium comprising a liquid component and a solid component and agitating the organic fibers and the medium; and wherein the agitation results in a substantial reduction of the diameter of the organic fibers; and (iii) from about 5 weight % to about 66 weight % of one or more organic acids or salts thereof; such that the combined weight % of component (ii) and component (iii) is from about 5 weight % to about 70 weight %; where the combined carboxylic acid functionalities in all ingredients in the blend are at least partially neutralized by one or more inorganic bases having alkali metal, transition metal, or alkaline earth cations.