350 million pairs of shoes purchased each year.
11 pairs bought every second.
How do you recycle them once you no longer wear them?
We finally found the solution!
A year and a half ago, we launched Enco[re] : a series of projects that, at our level, will help us make fashion more sustainable. In particular, our shoes collecting and recycling project
[re]colte is the the fruit of our work. A sole made from your used shoes, collected in our stores and by our partner in Portugal. Born out of a desire to produce more responsibly, [re]colte is a real revolution for the footwear industry.
01
Collecting and sorting
This is the starting point of the project. Everything takes place in our stores where we collect your used shoes, regardless of the brand. It is also done in Portugal, thanks to our partner.
Pairs still in use are donated to associations. The others are divided into two categories to comply with the Reach* standard: shoes made in Europe are used directly in the production of [Re] colte®. Those made in the rest of the world are used to produce insulation and playgrounds. Nothing is wasted, everything is recycled.
02
Recycling
Once sorted, the pairs are sent to our partner in Portugal. There they are grinded twice to be reduced to powder. This powder is then heated before being pressed to obtain a plate, a raw material that is used to make [re]colte.
Only the metal parts are not recycled in this process. They are given to a specialized factory which recycles them directly.
03
Producing
Transformed into slabs, your used shoes are used in the manufacture of our [re]colte sole. They are mixed with 50% recycled rubber, from production scraps and 30% natural rubber, from plants.
For the Fall-Winter 2020 season, [re]colte is present on 58% of our sneakers. We have recycled around 3000 pairs of shoes for this.
