How to recycle your pre-loved sneakers and why is it important?
HOW TO RECYCLE YOUR PRE-LOVED
SNEAKERS AND WHY IS IT
IMPORTANT?
As society is becoming more conscious of how we consume goods, especially shoes and clothing, many people are buying quality garments and aiming to prolong their life as much as possible. However, when it comes to footwear, even with extra care, any shoe will eventually wear out at some point. The question is, what should you do with sneakers you don’t want to wear anymore?
WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER TOSS
YOUR OLD SNEAKERS IN THE
TRASH
In 2019, a new record was reached in the footwear industry: 24.3 billion pairs of shoes were manufactured worldwide. According to the expert Sahadat Hossain, most of these shoes were or will be sent to landfills. With such a large quantity, suppliers have exceeded the demand.
When landing in dumps, footwear can leach plasticizers, heavy metals, and other toxic chemicals for long periods. While natural materials take months or years to decompose like cotton (which needs about 6 months) or leather (which takes 20 to 40 years), plastic-based components last much longer.
Some may think that making shoes with 100% organic materials is the solution. Sadly, it is not. Even though leather takes less time to break down, it still releases methane, contributing to global warming.
Sneakers, for instance, take a very long time to break down. Since they must endure much more than regular shoes, their durability is essential. And in terms of performance, unfortunately, synthetic materials hold up better than natural ones. Plastic has made footwear better, lighter, faster, more comfortable, and more accessible. The problem is that most trainers are made using a combination of different plastics seamed and glued in very complex ways, making them extremely hard to recycle.
We can all agree that throwing your pre-owned shoes in the trash is a terrible idea. However, before checking how to recycle your old sneakers, you should consider the following actions first.
YOU HAVE OPTIONS
1. Give Them a Second Life
If your sneakers are still in good condition, but you don’t want to wear them anymore, maybe someone else would. There are multiple possibilities here. Start by cleaning them, then, you can either sell your well-loved sneakers on Vinted, eBay, Wallapop, and other platforms specialized in selling and buying secondhand products. Or, you can donate to charity to help those who need shoes but cannot afford them.
2. What’s Broken Can Be Repaired
If your pre-loved sneakers cannot be worn as they are, the good news is that they can be restored. Plus, you can actually make money out of it. Uncle J, for example, is a shop that specializes in giving your old sneakers a better look and selling them for you. They even buy your pairs up to 75% of the new resale price! There are multiple shops offering this kind of service. Do your research.
3. Be Creative: Upcycle
You’ve considered all the above, but your pair of sneakers cannot be sold, donated, or restored. All right, but before you get rid of them, take another look. Could they be painted or decorated? You can give them a new purpose so that nothing practical goes to waste. This might be a fun DIY activity to do with your friends. There are endless ideas online to get inspired from. For example, here are 15 Creative Ways to Reuse Old Shoes. Check it out.
4. Recycle: The Ultimate Solution
If your sneakers are worn past the point of no return, the only solution left is to recycle them. It is true that no matter how good the shoes are, they just can’t last forever. In fact, the average life of a running shoe is about 500 kilometers. Many brands started joining the movement. They are happy to take your old sneakers and send them to centers capable of breaking down complex materials to give your shoes a new life.
A. As part of their Move to Zero journey toward zero carbon and zero waste, Nike accepts donations of athletic gear from any brand. So just drop off your worn-out sneakers at a participating Nike retail store (check Nike stores near you to see if they accept shoes for recycling).
B. Timberland’s Second Chance program, in partnership with Soles4Souls in Europe, aims to convert footwear that is no longer worn. You can now hand over your unwanted pairs of any brand in one of the selected Timberland stores. For each pair of shoes handed in, you’ll receive a reward, plus the satisfaction of helping to reduce the global impact on the environment.
SUSTAINABILITY IS A JOURNEY
Whether you donate, resell, repair, upcycle, or recycle your old sneakers, make sure you’ve already used them as much as possible. In a world full of new shiny materials, the most sustainable thing you can do is make the most out of what you already have. Eager to do more? We’ve dedicated a space for you to find the most environmentfriendly looks, keep up with our sustainability efforts, and get inspired on how you can contribute to a more sustainable future.
