Four big groups join footwear recycling pilot
Major groups adidas, Inditex, Target and Zalando have joined forces with fashion sustainability initiative Fashion For Good to launch a new footwear recycling project.
All four fashion groups will run pilot tests of a footwear recycling process (pictured) developed by a specialist Netherlands-based recycling company called FastFeetGrinded. The pilot exercises will aim to test and validate the process and support the use of recycled material in the production of new shoes.
The technology deconstructs shoes of all kinds, pre- and post-consumer use, breaking them down into components and separating these components by material. It then involves grinding these components to produce granules of the different materials involved so that they can be reused in products such as outsoles, midsoles and uncomplicated finished products such as flip-flops.
Fashion For Good managing director, Katrin Ley, commented: “This project will allow us to understand the sustainable recycling technologies and infrastructures needed to accelerate the transition towards a circular future. By fostering collaborative partnerships like this, where companies come together to share knowledge and validate innovation, we pave the way for scalable solutions.”
