This country has built a nationwide shoe recycling program
This country has built a nationwide shoe recycling program
It allows you to give a new life to your shoes
Today’s eco snapshot👇🏽
A nationwide shoe recycling program
Startup of the Week: Icebug AB
5 Sustainable Footwear Brands
News That Lifted My Spirits This Week
👟 A nationwide shoe recycling program
Every year, Australia imports 110 million shoes, but only 1% gets recycled.
The sporting and active lifestyle industry, which accounts for 25% of these imports is working on solving this problem.
The Australian Sporting Goods Association (ASGA) has partnered with Save Our Soles (SOS) and has set up a shoe recycling initiative.
Their program, TreadLightly, unites everyone from brands and retailers to athletes and consumers in reducing the industry's environmental impact.
They're enabling real, local action to tackle a global waste problem, making it easier for everyone to tread lightly.
Here’s how the program works:
Unwanted shoes can be deposited in collection units at over 900 sport and footwear retailers in Australia.
These shoes are then collected, sorted, and stored.
The shoes are then transformed into recycled crumbs.
The recycled crumbs are used to create materials like shock pads, playgrounds, underlays for sporting surfaces, retail flooring, and anti-fatigue mats.
Setting a great example of a circular economy. I hope other countries can take a cue from this cooperative arrangement :)
⌛ Time for the quiz of the week
According to recent data, seven countries now generate nearly all of their electricity from renewable energy sources.
Answer at the end of the newsletter. No one (including me) can see your response so feel free to vote 😉
✨ Startup of the Week: Icebug AB
This Swedish footwear brand does not have any growth targets. It wants you to buy less shoes.
Footprint Fiasco…Just like anything we buy, shoes leave a carbon footprint too. This comes from how they're made and how they're moved around. And guess what? Returning a pair of shoes also adds to that footprint! Most of the time, returned shoes just get burned because it's simpler than trying to resell them.
Sneaky Footprint…The Swedish footwear brand, Icebug, is addressing these issues. They work with three factories in China and Vietnam for manufacturing. These factories are regularly audited for their emissions targets and worker rights.
Solar Sneakers…Since most of the factories in Asia run on coal, Icebug is helping its factories switch to renewables. They did a pilot program to test this out in a factory where they helped them switch to solar energy. After seeing the success, they launched SOLROS (Solar Rooftop Scaling Program). SOLROS helps apparel factories in Vietnam set up solar rooftops and generate all their energy from solar. This helps apparel brands reduce their emissions.
Shoe-Reducing…Icebug always avoids air transport due to its high emissions, which are 20 times greater than sea transport. Unlike other brands that launch one or two 'green' models, Icebug concentrates on reducing the emissions of all its products. Currently, a pair of Icebug shoes releases 11kg of CO2. The brand aims to reduce this to 6kg by 2030, thus making its footprint more environmentally friendly.
✅ 5 Sustainable Footwear Brands
Earthbound: Shoes made from plant-based materials.
Salubata: Footwear made out of plastic waste.
Thaely: Sneakers made from recycled plastic.
Thousand Fell: Sneaker made from recycled bottles, natural rubber & food waste.
Veja: Socially and environmentally conscious sneaker.
😹 News That Lifted My Spirits This Week
Pedal Power Prevails in Paris: Paris is swiftly transforming into a city of cyclists, with a significant shift in travel from the suburbs to the city center, largely due to the construction of numerous cycleways.
Trucking Towards a Greener Future: The European Parliament gears up for a cleaner environment by passing a law requiring most new heavy-duty vehicles to be emission-free by 2040.
Cambridge Cuts Off Carbon Cash: Cambridge University says 'no' to funding from fossil fuel companies, responding to calls from students, academics, and a former UN climate envoy.
📞 Interested in chatting about sustainability and climate change?
Every week, I do a few 20-minute calls with people who are either building or working in the sustainability and climate change space or are interested in exploring it.
These calls are free and more about you than me. Feel free to book one here:
Click that 💚 if this added some value to you.
Enjoy your weekend, and see you next week😊