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19.02.2024 •Uncategorized

Circularity in the Footwear Industry

Circularity in the Footwear Industry

The complexity of the footwear sector, from its development to the end of its useful life, emerges as a key obstacle to achieving large-scale circularity, which makes the relevance of strategic alignment and stakeholder collaboration to achieve change and to “think circularly” increasingly significant.

Innovation, quality and circularity must therefore go hand in hand to achieve greater differentiation in the market.

In a joint initiative between representatives of global footwear brands and sustainability experts, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) served as the stage for a crucial debate on the waste generated by the footwear industry, where the following challenges were identified:

  • The intrinsic complexity of footwear, from design to materials and manufacturing processes, makes it difficult to recycle and reintegrate used footwear back into the supply chain.
  • The need for a robust logistics infrastructure that allows the reuse, recycling or composting of the finished product and which requires coordination between the network of suppliers, buyers and material management entities.

However, there are already brands that are taking this path, through strategic partnerships, in order to present innovative solutions.

Revolution of the Footwear Market by ARRIS and Brooks

The partnership between ARRIS and Brooks, during TRE 2023, resulted in the first brand with a continuous, high tenacity fiber reinforced composite that can be used in Additive Molding.

This advanced, innovative and patented thermoplastic composite technology can be applied to running footwear with the aim of improving speed, comfort, aesthetics and the biomechanics of running.

ARRIS & Brooks
NIKE – Improvise, Recover, Protect and Adapt

Nike is committed to Sustainable Innovation and launched ISPA (Improvise, Scavenge, Protect, Adapt), that is, improvise, recover, protect and adapt, a new milestone in the footwear industry that incorporates the principles of circularity and sustainability. The footwear is produced in a closed-loop system, which does not produce waste, without the use of glue and using recycled materials. Each footwear component is designed to be recyclable and the simplification of the manufacturing process allows for faster and more efficient assembly, without compromising its quality.

Nike
Saucony’s New Sustainable Shoe

Saucony has launched its most sustainable sneaker, the CovationBio PDO, made from a regeneratively grown corn-based material. This initiative is part of its sustainability objectives, so that 90% of its products contain organic, recycled or renewable materials by 2025, reaching the target of 100% by 2030.

CovationBio PDO
ECCO’s Commitment to Environmental Responsibility

ECCO is a brand recognized for its quality and innovation in footwear and is focused on its commitment to sustainability by reducing water consumption in leather tanning. It also has a plan towards zero waste and to reduce its carbon footprint, always with a commitment to increasing the durability of its products.

ECCO

NITextile has solutions tailored to your needs!

The footwear sector faces complex challenges with regard to circularity, from its conception to the end of life, where Sustainability, growth and profitability must become a sum of success.

NITextile has tailor-made solutions for you! Contact us and discover how we can help you face the challenges of the footwear sector with personalized and sustainable solutions.

Together, we can make a difference in the footwear industry and promote more responsible and ecological practices.

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