The global footwear industry churns out an astonishing 23.8 billion pairs of shoes annually, a figure that highlights both its scale and its environmental footprint. Each shoe is composed on average of more than 60 different components, ranging from fabrics and plastics to rubber and adhesives, intricately assembled to meet performance, aesthetic, and cost demands. This complexity, however, hinders the adoption of circular practices, leaving the sector lagging behind in circular innovation compared to other areas of fashion.

While consumers and the industry are increasingly calling for more circular solutions, the reality is stark: the most recent studies conclude that approximately 90% of footwear ends up in landfill, contributing to an ever-growing mountain of waste. Unlike other areas of fashion where innovation has been more readily integrated, footwear’s multi-material construction and complex design complicate efforts to sort, disassemble, or recycle effectively.

This challenge is exacerbated by a lack of reverse logistics infrastructure and the absence of design principles that prioritise circularity. Current practices largely focus on linear production models — manufacture, use, and discard — failing to address the lifecycle of products. The sector’s lag in scaled innovation compared to apparel underscores the urgency for systemic change, as the environmental consequences of inaction continue to mount.

While this complexity presents a significant hurdle, brands are already exploring innovative solutions, including material science advancements and take-back programs, to address these challenges and pave the way for more circular footwear. These individual efforts complement the collaborative work within ‘Closing the Footwear Loop,’ creating a synergistic approach to driving industry-wide change.