Regardless of how properly you rinse that to-go container, there’s likelihood you gained’t have the ability to correctly recycle it.
Within the US, solely round 9% of plastics produced are recycled. Although we view recycling as a simple option to create a extra eco-friendly world, there’s quite a lot of misinformation about it.
Fortunately, some NGOs, nonprofits, and companies are exploring new methods to resolve our plastic disaster, from our to-go containers to our footwear. Lately, footwear created from recycled plastic have made steps ahead. However what does that imply? And are recycled footwear simply one other greenwashing ploy?
Whereas footwear created from recycled supplies can be extra eco-friendly than different mainstream alternate options, they’re not an ideal answer. ‘Sustainable’ footwear nonetheless get landfilled and are often created from partially recycled supplies (extra on that).
Although a nuanced subject, recycled footwear aren’t all dangerous. Learn on to be taught what’s value celebrating, what nonetheless wants enchancment, and easy methods to assist higher choices.
Sneakers are created from quite a lot of supplies, often rubber, pure supplies like leather-based or cotton, and synthetics like polyurethane or nylon, that are plastics. Artificial supplies are utilized in merchandise like footwear as a result of they’re versatile, straightforward to look after, waterproof, and low cost.
Whereas each pure and artificial supplies have environmental drawbacks, synthetics have an particularly excessive impression on our planet. Due to this, there was a push to seek out alternate options to those synthetics. One different is to make use of recycled synthetics.
Utilizing recycled synthetics doesn’t essentially imply your complete shoe is created from recycled supplies; however typically, “recycled footwear” use recycled synthetics as an alternative of recent or virgin, artificial supplies.
Making footwear from recycled plastic has two most important advantages. First, it reduces the necessity for brand spanking new supplies, which implies we will extract fewer sources. Second, it helps clear up the waste that might in any other case need to be managed or pollute the setting.
Recycled Plastic Sneakers have a Lowered Carbon Footprint
Recycled supplies require fewer new supplies and trigger fewer greenhouse fuel emissions since much less fossil gas is extracted and utilized in manufacturing. Moreover, some recycled polyesters produce lower than 79% of the C02 emissions of recent polyester.
Recycled Plastic Sneakers Clear Up Plastic Waste
Round 6 million tonnes of plastic waste find yourself in rivers, oceans, and close by coastlines yearly. This waste threatens ecosystems, harms marine life, and dangers human well being. Decreasing and in the end eradicating this waste is essential to make sure these ecosystems proceed to thrive.
One response to this challenge is gathering this plastic waste, recycling it, and turning it into new merchandise, together with attire and footwear.
Rothy’s, a San Francisco-based shoe firm, has collected over 170 million single-use plastic bottles from the shoreline (and neighboring areas) to wash up marine life. The corporate turns these recycled plastic bottles into fibers to create the knit cloth used within the mesh for its footwear.
Although recycled artificial footwear are higher than new artificial sneakers, they’re not an ideal answer. Artificial supplies, recycled or not, have their drawbacks that we should additionally acknowledge.
Recycled plastic footwear depend on waste
Recycled footwear depend on virgin plastic to be recycled. 430 million tonnes of plastic are produced yearly—whereas cleansing up the ensuing waste is essential, what’s much more essential is discovering a option to scale back this manufacturing.
A sustainable footwear future implements a round financial system, the place waste is recirculated and was new merchandise. Plastics aren’t choice for a recirculated materials, as a result of they’re solely recycled a number of instances earlier than they break down. As well as, they depend on fossil fuels that perpetuate local weather change.
Plastic recycling could be poisonous
One other downside to recycled footwear is that recycled plastics could be poisonous. In keeping with a 2023 Greenpeace report, many recycled plastics generally include not less than one poisonous chemical, together with dioxins and flame retardants.
Recycling plastics poses well being dangers to staff who could also be uncovered to dangerous chemical substances whereas inhaling poisonous mud and fumes. New proof additionally reveals that it’s dangerous to the wearer’s well being (though ft could also be, fairly actually, the bottom precedence right here).
Most footwear are tossed
The issue with recycled footwear is that many individuals assume the footwear themselves are what’s recycled. The truth may be very totally different. Sneakers are tough to recycle as a result of they’re made up of a number of elements and supplies. But round 300 million pairs of footwear are thrown out by Individuals every year, and might take as much as 40 years to decompose.
As a result of solely 1% of textiles are recycled immediately, the business and customers should prioritize closing the loop and losing much less.
Although not an ideal answer, recycled footwear are a step in the suitable path. Listed here are a number of methods to prioritize one of the best choices to create a sustainable wardrobe.
Help manufacturers that use progressive, eco-friendly supplies
Many manufacturers that use recycled supplies of their footwear attempt to incorporate different sustainable supplies as properly, the place doable.
For instance, Rothy’s created an algae-based foam for the within of its footwear. Brazilian model Cariuma makes use of Mamona oil, a plant-based different to petroleum, to lower the usage of artificial supplies. One other shoe firm, Allbirds, generally makes use of TENCEL, a extra eco-friendly semi-synthetic created from wooden pulp.
Supporting manufacturers that see recycled artificial supplies as only one piece of the sustainability puzzle is a option to proceed to uplift alternatives for eco-friendly innovation.
Buy high quality merchandise and scale back consumption
One of the best ways to assist sustainable trend is to easily eat much less. Quick trend has negatively influenced our tradition by normalizing the frequent buy of recent merchandise.
Taking time to analysis the manufacturers you’re shopping for and buying long-lasting footwear is a crucial means to assist the setting by consuming much less.
Take part in round initiatives
With so many footwear ending up in landfills, discovering methods to forestall that is essential. You possibly can search for manufacturers with take again applications. However remember to ask them what they do with the footwear to present them a second life, as many of those could be greenwashing schemes to encourage new purchases.
Help manufacturers with clear provide chains
Manufacturing footwear, particularly when utilizing plastic supplies, can hurt staff in the event that they’re uncovered to toxins.
Transparency into an organization’s provide chain is essential to understanding how moral and eco-friendly its processes really are. Search for a corporation’s code of conduct and proof of manufacturing unit evaluations on its web site. You may as well use model directories like Good On You to examine an organization’s moral and sustainable scoring.
To sum up a number of the manufacturers talked about above that provide footwear created from recycled plastic and add a number of extra for consideration, listed here are 5 shoe manufacturers utilizing recycled supplies that you would be able to be ok with supporting.
- Rothy’s – Rothy’s collects plastic water bottles to create recycled knit cloth for its footwear. The corporate additionally makes use of algae-based foam, pure rubber, and hemp fiber, amongst different eco-friendly supplies.
- Cariuma – Along with recycled nylon and recycled plastic bottles (PET), Cariuma makes use of biodegradable supplies like their sugarcane EVA, which is sourced from Brazilian sugarcane and is sustainably grown.
- Vivaia – Vivaia makes use of recycled plastic bottles, PET, and fake fur. The model additionally makes use of pure supplies, together with pure rubber, sugarcane EVA, rice husks, and insoles created from a mixture of herbs. [Try Kasi’s style pick: the classic Mary Janes]
- Native – This progressive model swaps plastic for bio-based supplies, units science-based targets to cut back its local weather impression, and pioneered the Native Sneakers Remix™ Mission – a recycling initiative that offers solves new life in initiatives throughout the group.
- Allbirds – This model’s mission is to make use of renewable supplies wherever doable. This consists of pure, plant-based leathers and natural pure fibers. When utilizing a pure materials isn’t an choice, Allbirds opts for recycled plastics to fill the gaps.
- Vejas – This famend French model makes use of a mesh cloth created from 100% recycled polyester from plastic water bottles. The model makes use of honest commerce and natural uncooked supplies. It presents transparency into their provide chain and manufacture their merchandise at their manufacturing unit in Brazil.
Sustainable footwear is a fancy subject plagued with greenwashing. The time period “recycled” is commonly used to make one thing appear extra sustainable than it truly is. Nevertheless, the story is nuanced in relation to footwear created from recycled plastic.
But, with progressive firms utilizing recycled synthetics and different sustainable practices, turning to recycled artificial footwear as a substitute for your common sneakers is a assured step, or bounce, in the suitable path.
Have suggestions for sustainable sneakers? Stroll them into the feedback.
Writer Bio:
Jackie Warehime is a New York-based designer and sustainability advocate with a background in product design. She writes about sustainable design at www.jackiewarehime.com to discover and develop the moral and sustainable approaches to crafting our world.
