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Footwear Circularity Innovation Showcase

Footwear Circularity Innovation Showcase

 This document explores the urgent need for circularity in the footwear industry, highlighting the challenges associated with footwear waste, complex design, and lack of recycling infrastructure. It showcases innovative solutions, including advanced sorting, disassembly, and recycling technologies, and discusses policy and industry collaboration. It also introduces key stakeholders and ongoing initiatives aimed at driving circularity in footwear production and waste management.

Last updated: 11/04/2023

Introduction & Key Terms

The footwear industry produces approximately 24 billion pairs of shoes annually, with around 90% ending up in landfill or incineration. The complexity of shoe design, with over 40 components per item, makes disassembly and recycling difficult. There is an urgent need for innovative approaches in collection, sorting, and recycling to reduce waste and transition towards a circular economy.

The document highlights key innovations in sorting, disassembly, and recycling, with contributions from experts such as Stefan Liske (PCH Innovations), Chloé Salmon Legagneur (CETIA), and Dr. Yuly Fuentes Medel (MIT, Closed Loop Partners, Footwear Collective). It discusses emerging technologies, including spectroscopy sorting, AI-based automated disassembly, and chemical and mechanical recycling.

Furthermore, the document emphasises the importance of policy intervention, collaboration between brands, and the role of consumer engagement in achieving a circular system for footwear. The concept of shared infrastructure and pre-competitive collaboration is introduced as a means to scale up sustainability efforts across the industry.

 

Key words/phrases:

  • Footwear circularity
  • Recycling infrastructure
  • Disassembly technologies
  • Automated sorting
  • Chemical and mechanical recycling
  • Sustainable footwear design
  • Policy and industry collaboration
  • Consumer engagement
  • Shared infrastructure
  • Pre-competitive collaboration

Contents

  1. Introduction
    • The scale of footwear waste
    • Complexity of shoe design and recycling challenges
    • Need for circularity in the industry
  2. Key Innovations
    • Circular design principles
    • Advanced sorting technologies (spectroscopy, AI sorting, automated sorting belts)
    • Disassembly and recycling advancements (debondable adhesives, automated disassembly bots, mechanical and chemical recycling)
  3. Expert Contributions
    • PCH Innovations – Stefan Liske
    • CETIA – Chloé Salmon Legagneur
    • Footwear Manifesto – Dr. Yuly Fuentes Medel
  4. Challenges in Footwear Circularity
    • Material complexity and design barriers
    • Lack of recycling and collection infrastructure
    • Need for policy interventions and incentives
  5. Collaboration and Industry Solutions
    • The role of pre-competitive collaboration
    • Shared infrastructure models
    • Engaging consumers in circularity efforts
  6. Future Roadmap
    • Establishing industry standards for circularity
    • Investment in sustainable materials and recycling technologies
    • Creation of an open innovation platform for industry-wide collaboration