Shoe recycling the target of UK-based partnership

Reconomy Connect, a provider of specialized waste and resource management services, and footwear recycler ReNewShoe recently announced a partnership aimed at making it easier for consumers to recycle their end-of-life shoes and keep valuable materials out of landfills and incinerators.

Through its technologies, ReNewShoe takes used shoes and recycles them “to the full 100 percent,” producing resources such as rubber, foam, fluff and leather. This material then can be turned into a range of products such as picnic tables, flooring for indoor and outdoor sport facilities and even be used to create fully circular shoes.

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Reconomy Connect, a division of international circular economy company Reconomy UK Ltd., will facilitate the collection of unwanted shoes by providing designated drop-off points at sites, making it easier for people to dispose of their footwear.

“We are thrilled to be playing a key role in addressing the significant challenge of hard-to-recycle footwear, an often-overlooked issue,” says Dave Seal-Yates, head of circular solutions at Reconomy Connect. “Partnering with ReNewShoe will help us in our mission to support businesses as they unlock cost savings and commercial opportunities by keeping resources in circulation, reducing the need for virgin material production and preventing waste from ending up in landfill.”

The partners, both based in the United Kingdom, say their collaboration comes at a time when the global footwear industry produces 24.3 billion pairs of shoes each year, generating a “vast” carbon footprint. However, the companies say not enough attention is being paid to what happens to a pair of shoes at the end of their life, adding that footwear is hard to recycle and 95 percent of it ends up in landfills or incinerators every year.

“I started my business because I could not understand why there was not a method for sustainably recycling footwear,” ReNewShoe Managing Director Gareth Denton Smith says. “I was determined to address this and create a business that uses best-in-class technologies to maximize material reuse, reduce waste and promote the circular economy. I am delighted to now be partnering with Reconomy Connect, whose extensive waste collection infrastructure and technology capabilities will help take our efforts to drive responsible shoe recycling to the next level.”