What happens to all our worn-out shoes?
by Brian Eccleshall 15th December 2022Ever wondered what happens to all the worn-out shoes?
Most of the pre-loved shoes donated to Life & Sole are in excellent condition, probably just 'grown out of' and are good to be passed on to families in need. And this is surely what the whole of society should be straining towards. Eventually, however, they will reach the end of their useful shoe-life. What then?
Estimates for the UK are that over two million shoes are thrown into landfill every week and, on average, a pair of shoes (man-made fibres and textiles) takes over 1000 years to biodegrade. Networkfour's L&S project is now working with the University of Birmingham and the Alternative Raw Materials with Low Impact (ARLI), along with some local businesses to re-use nearly all the materials from shoe waste to create an exciting range of zero-carbon products. We hope that this will provide employment opportunities for some of the 'far-from-employment' clients we work with regularly.
So win-win-win! Do get in touch through this site if you want to know more.
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