Bringing Back Shoes to Close the Loop

With sustainability as a neutral part of our everyday business, we are now ready to launch our Shoe Bring Back initiative in all concept stores. In cooperation with German I:Collect, the aim is to encourage all consumers to take responsibility for their used shoes.

“Recycling is, alongside our aim of using more sustainable materials and production processes, a focus area for us, where brands and consumers really can cooperate in closing the loop,” says Ulrika Simonsson, CSR Manager at Vagabond Shoemakers.

“A big problem with shoe consumption is that a great deal of the shoes that are being thrown away, still have a lot to give. Therefore, the most important mission for the Shoe Bring Back – project is to make sure that shoes that are still in wearable condition are being re-distributed to second-hand shops to extend product lifetime.

”Only buy what you really love. And when you do not wish to use your shoes anymore, leave them for someone else to use or for material recycling”

“Shoes that are being thrown away, still have a lot to give”

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 Brand Communications.

Shoe Bring Back is initially available in all Vagabond Stores in Sweden, Finland, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, UK and Denmark.

Step-by-step guide about Shoe bring back