Learn how Circular Footwear Alliance is playing a vital role in the sustainable dismantling of safety footwear

The Problem:

It is estimated that over 1 million pairs of safety shoes end up in landfills every year in the Netherlands!
Many materials of these safety shoes are not biodegradable. In 100 years, you might just come across your old pair of shoes.

The long degradation process highlights the need for sustainable methods of dealing with end-of-life safety shoes, such as recycling and reusing, to reduce environmental impact.

Our solution

At the Circular Footwear Alliance, we don’t let a single pair of safety shoes end up in the landfill. We make sure they are collected, dismantled and recycled at the highest level so that these resources do not go to waste.
Only with your commitment can we make an impact and ensure a circular future!

Working together to achieve the scale necessary

1. The safety shoes go into a shredder that breaks the whole products into small pieces.
2. These pieces are separated into ferrous metals, nonferrous metals, textiles and fluff, rubber and PU, leather and foam
3. All materials are grinded into very fine particles (granules).
4. Materials are prepared into secondary raw ingredients for use in brand new products whenever possible.

Some day your shoes may return as…

Insulation                                                                Playground tiles

We aim to give all raw materials a new purpose.

Environmental impacts:

Preserving natural resources: Recycling and reusing materials from safety footwear reduces the need for new raw materials, such as leather, plastics, and metals. This helps reduce the pressure placed on natural resources such as water, land, and mining raw materials.

Reduction of water and energy usage: The recycling of materials reduces the need for new production processes, thereby reducing the amount of water and energy required to extract and process new raw materials.

Reducing the carbon footprint: Recycling of materials leads to a reduction in CO2 emissions associated with the extraction, production and processing of new raw materials, thereby reducing the impact on climate change.

Promoting circular economy: Dismantling and recycling safety shoes helps promote a circular economy, where materials are reused and recycled instead of a linear approach of producing, consuming and disposing.

By purchasing a collection box from CFA, you are creating employment opportunities for people with disabilities, directly contributing to promoting decent work and economic growth.