Circ, Vivobarefoot partner to create fully recyclable shoes

Textile recycling company, Circ, based in the United States, has announced a partnership with the British footwear brand Vivobarefoot. Their joint goal is to create shoe uppers entirely from polyester, a material that can be chemically recycled and used again in making new shoes.

This collaboration aims to address a significant issue: approximately 20 billion pairs of shoes end up in landfills every year. One of the reasons for this problem is that shoes are often made of various components and materials that make them challenging to recycle efficiently.

While some footwear brands already use mechanical recycling methods to find new uses for old shoes, there’s a limitation. These recycled products often cannot be recycled again in the future, which means the materials are not used to their full potential.