Not all footwear can be repurposed as-is. Some are simply too exhausted. When this occurs, you can recycle your old footwear; the textile components of your old footwear can be utilized to create something else, even in certain circumstances a new pair of sneakers.
- Check your local Nike store to see if it participates in shoe recycling, as several Nike locations in the United States and Europe provide this service.
- Through these initiatives, the materials from old, donated footwear, such as rubber, foam, fiber, leather, and fabrics, are gathered, sorted, and repurposed or transformed into new Nike Grind materials.
Nike has been utilizing Nike Grind materials into product design, retail spaces, and office settings for almost three decades, putting recycled materials to use in products such as furniture, skateboards, and running tracks. Nike Grind has recycled over 59 million kg of shoe material since 1992.
Nike Grind is a component of a bigger sustainability initiative dubbed Move to Zero, which is the brand’s journey towards a future with zero carbon emissions and zero waste in an effort to safeguard the future of sport. The objective is to advance toward a world in which everything is recycled and nothing is wasted.
If you are unable to recycle your footwear through your local Nike shop, seek out local shoe banks or shoe recycling collection bins to ensure that your old footwear is being reused. Additionally, you can contact larger recycling facilities to determine if they process shoes.
Where are old shoes discarded?
- Goodwill. Goodwill is perhaps the most popular option among Americans for donating items.
- The Army of Salvation. The Salvation Army makes donating old shoes easier than ever.
- Soles4Souls. Soles4Souls is a nonprofit established in Nashville.
- Donate Your Shoes.
- Please pick up the phone.
- Becca’s Closet.
- Dress to impress.
- One World Athletics.
- Sneaker Freaker.