Fashion for Good launches 'Closing the Footwear Loop' for circular shoes

Fashion for Good, the Amsterdam platform for sustainable fashion innovations, has launched 'Closing the Footwear Loop', a project focused on solving the circularity issues in the footwear industry by uniting 14 brands. The goal is to transform the current linear production process – where shoes are often thrown away after use – into a circular model, through which shoes can be recycled or repaired for reuse at the end of their lifespan.

Worldwide, 23.8 billion pairs of shoes are produced each year, composed of more than 60 different materials. This diversity makes it difficult to efficiently sort, disassemble or recycle shoes. In addition, the right infrastructure and circular design principles are often lacking. Approximately 90 percent of the shoes produced ultimately end up in landfills.

Despite these obstacles, brands are already working on innovative solutions, such as advanced materials science and take-back programs, to make circular footwear a reality. The Closing the Footwear Loop initiative brings together these initiatives and creates a collaborative approach to change in the sector.

One of the main goals of the project is to map shoe waste in Europe, together with Circle Economy. This data will provide insight into quantities, materials, reusability and recycling possibilities of shoes.

Katrin Ley, chief executive officer of Fashion for Good, said: “Closing the Footwear Loop is our most ambitious attempt yet to rethink the way we design, use and dispose of shoes. By bringing together 14 leading brands, we are not just tackling a challenge, we are laying the foundation for systemic change.”

The 14 participating brands are: Adidas, Deichmann, Dr. Martens, Footwear Innovation Foundation (affiliated with FDRA), Inditex, Lululemon, On, Otto Group, Puma, Reformation, Target, Tommy Hilfiger, Vivobarefoot and Zalando. The project is supported by ecosystem partners such as The Footwear Collective, the Global Footwear Future Coalition (GFFC) and the Global Fashion Agenda.

In addition, a plan is being developed for designing shoes according to circular principles. This plan provides guidelines for material selection, sustainability, repair options and responsible chemical management.

The project also explores new technologies for processing end-of-life shoes. Through pilots and evaluations, the initiative aims to overcome obstacles and accelerate the adoption of circular footwear in the industry.

This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.NL. It was translated to English using AI and edited by Rachel Douglass.

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