Introducing Reconomy Connect’s partnership with ReNewShoe: the Future of Circular Footwear

The global footwear industry produces a staggering 24.3 billion pairs of shoes each year. Whilst the manufacturing of shoes generates a mammoth carbon footprint, this is rightly receiving a lot of focus and attention to minimise the effect of this. Brands globally are making efforts to reuse materials, such as Nike’s ‘Reuse-A-Shoe’ program and Adidas has used plastic waste collected from the sea in some of their shoe’s components. However, attention must be turned to what happens to a pair of shoes at the end of their life.  

Footwear is notoriously hard to recycle due to its make-up of many different materials that require separation before it can be processed. Because of this 95% of footwear, or the equivalent of 300 million tonnes, is currently ending up in landfill or incineration every year. This is overwhelming evidence that the footwear industry needs a sustainable solution, and one that is being tackled by ReNewShoe’s initiative.  

ReNewShoe are a unique shoe recycling company that is committed to driving the industry towards a more circular solution for footwear recycling, and therefore a sustainable future. ReNewShoe utilises proven technologies that separates and pulverizes different types of footwear.  

How Does Shoe Recycling Work? 

Focusing on 3 main sources of input, ReNewShoe treats old shoes that are no longer worn, sample shoes that are not for sale purposes and unused materials or residues during the production process. These are then all recycled to the full 100% and produce outcome resources such as rubber, foam, fluff, leather and more. 

ReNewShoe works with Reconomy Connect to facilitate the collection of unwanted shoes. We provide drop-off boxes at sites for people to dispose of their footwear. This can be any shoe such as safety boots, work boots, PPE and even footwear that forms part of employee uniform.  

Once collected, the recycling process begins. Using a mechanical recycling method, the input is pulverized achieving 100% recycled materials. This creates rubber and foam granulates, blend fibres (PET and nylon), leather scraps, metals and fluff.  

This outputted material can be transformed into various different items such as picnic tables, flooring for indoor and outdoor sport facilities, POS materials and more. The material output is so pure, it can even be used to create its own fully circular shoe! An example of this already being a success is ASICS’ Neocurve which uses unworn samples, unwanted stock and defective products deposited in shoe recycling bins to make this new, circular trainer.  

ReNewShoe’s efforts reduce carbon emissions, waste and the need for virgin material production by providing an advanced way of utilising recycled materials for the footwear industry. This partnership facilitates the circulatory efforts of ReNewShoe through Reconomy Connect’s collection services that can be easily situated on sites.  

Together, we can take the necessary steps towards footwear circularity.

Contact Reconomy Connect today to discuss more about our shoe recycling capability, in partnership with ReNewShoe.