The problem with most shoes is that they are produced with a mix of materials and glues, making them nearly impossible to recycle.
A new pair of running shoes from the French company Salomon wants to show the shoe industry that, yes, it’s possible to create a shoe where every single part of it can be reused. The shoe’s upper part is made of recycled polyester that can be recycled again into a new thread for the fabric. Meanwhile, the foam sole can be ground up and used in the brand’s ski boots. In the end, nothing goes to landfill.
The shoe, which is being called the Index.01, was designed to limit materials and to be easily disassembled. Salomon will use regional collection centers to gather used shoes, clean them, disassemble them, and then send the materials to local partners for recycling.
Then the recycled materials will be sent to manufacturers. In the case of the recycled foam, for example, it will be sent to the factory that makes Salomon’s ski boots, where the ground-up sole of roughly one shoe will be used for each new ski boot shell.
Although Salomon is pleased to usher in more circular practices with this shoe, the French brand says it’s keen to incorporate ideas about circularity into all of its future products.
