Closing the Loop

Prolonging the life of our fashion garments, is a key cornerstone in sustainable consumption. In our initiative Shoe Bring Back we work with German I:Collect, a system for reuse and safe recycling of shoes. The aim is to make sure still usable shoes get re-distributed to secondhand shops, and that wornout shoes become new raw material.

“A big problem in shoe consumption is that a lot of the shoes that are thrown away as household garbage, still have a lot more to give! With Shoe Bring Back we take step forward to close the loop”, says Anna Fahle Björcke, Sustainablity Coordinator at Vagabond Shoemakers.

“For those who do not have access to a concept store, we would like to highlight the importance of caring for your shoes to make them last long, and check how to best pass on our throw away used shoes in your local community”.

This project begins by taking all shoes that are still wearable to the I:Collect factory. The second step is to make sure that used shoes can become new material. The technique to recycle textile materials is already established, but due to the vast number of different components, no similar efficient method has previously existed for shoes. We are now a part of a pilot project with I:Collect, where recycling is being enabled thanks to new innovations.

“There are many steps each of us can take to become more environmentally responsible. In the long run, our main mission is to make sure all shopping decisions are conscious ones. Only buy what you really love. And when you don’t want to use your shoes anymore, leave them for someone else to use or for material recycling,” says Anna Fahle Björcke, Head of Communications.

Shoe Bring Back is initially available in all Vagabond Stores in Sweden, Finland, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Russia, Hungary, UK and Denmark. The initiative is also available at our Shoe Bring Back partner Görtz, Germany in 10 of their selected stores.

STEP BY STEP GUIDE

Our step-by-step guide makes it easy for you to bring your shoes back for reuse or recycling. Don’t let your old shoes go to waste, hand in your shoes to your nearest Vagabond Store.