Teva’s recycling service gives new life to used sandals

Teva, a division of U.S. apparel and footwear group Deckers Brands, has launched a new recycling service TevaForever, that encourages shoppers to send in their old sandals to keep them out of landfills.

The TevaForever service collaborates with TerraCycle®, a US-based recycling organization, to recycle pre-owned sandals at no cost to the buyer, allowing the sandals to be repurposed, lowering environmental damage, and avoiding landfill waste.

Customers have to sign up and download a prepaid shipping label to send their sandals to TerraCycle by going to Teva’s website. The shoes will be washed and the materials removed after they arrive at the recycling facility. Manufacturers will use the new material to create playgrounds, athletic fields, and track ground covers after the sandals have been broken down and refined.

The vice president, and general manager of Teva, Anders Bergstrom states that their collaboration with TerraCycle is a significant move forward in their continuing efforts to reduce the brand’s environmental effects. TevaForever is a simple way for our fans to get involved with the cause, ensuring that their sandals will be recycled.

TerraCycle CEO and Founder, Tom Szaky said that Teva sandal owners will now rest easy knowing that when their beloved pair of sandals eventually wears out, they won’t have to feel guilty for discarding them. The TevaForever Recycling Program allows customers to recycle their well-loved sandals while also helping to protect the world for future generations.

Teva’s recycling activities were bolstered by the announcement that it had rescued over 40.2 million plastic bottles from landfills in 2020 alone by making shoe belts made entirely of recycled plastic using a patented Repreve yarn. Teva reported that its long-term goal is to find ways to completely close the circle by recycling old Teva sandals into new sandals.