Kane Footwear launches new upcycling program ‘Project Renew’

US footwear brand, Kane Footwear, has announced a new upcycling project to transform shoes into yoga and changing mats.

Launching “Project Renew,” which will enable customers to send back their Revive slip-on shoes to be shredded into flakes so they may be used into mats, Kane Footwear has worked with upcycled rubber goods maker Lava Rubber.

According to the brand, flakes of Revive slip-ons will be combined with a generic Lava Rubber mixture that also contains wetsuits. This mixture will then be integrated into yoga mats, preventing five pounds of garbage from going to the landfill.

John Gagliardi, founder and chief executive at Kane Footwear, said that sustainability has always been a core tenet of Kane’s principles, and this latest initiative expands our offerings even further by giving customers a simple upcycling option.

On the Kane Footwear website, customers can request a prepaid mailing label to send their shoes to Lava Rubber for upcycling as part of the program. They will be given a 10 USD gift card to the Kane Footwear website in exchange.

Michael Briody, the founder and chief sales officer of Lava Rubber, said that Lava Rubber and Kane Footwear are focused on offering customers consciously-made goods, so working together was only natural. They knew their collaboration would result in something unique because they see the same positive energy in each other’s business models. The Kane x Lava Rubber Mat Collection truly combines their ideas and gives them a tangible substance. Each mat is distinct and regarded as a one-of-one. They sincerely hope that everyone appreciates them as much as they do.

The yoga mats will be sold on Kanefootwear.com starting today, April 11, and will cost $100 USD, while the changing mats will cost $60 USD.