This is what it looks like
when a shoe gets recycled.
Turning this
into that.
But this doesn't usually happen.
Shoes and clothing have a limited life cycle by design,
which usually means they end up in landfills.
In 2017, the US produced over 12 million tons
of clothing and footwear waste.
Only about 13.5% of that was recycled.
Products with short life spans
harm the environment during manufacturing
and produce tons of waste.
But we're starting to see a global push
to develop more sustainable manufacturing.
One company trying to develop new innovations
to fix this old problem is Salomon.
It makes millions of shoes every year.
Normally, shoes are made of many different materials,
like rubber, leather, and plastic,
which makes them difficult to recycle.
Salomon has developed a process that it hopes
will help solve this problem:
turning a used shoe into a new ski-boot shell.
The key to Salomon's new shoe is that
it's made entirely out of one material:
TPU, or thermoplastic polyurethane.
TPU is a type of plastic that is light but durable.
And it can be reshaped when heated,
which means it's well suited for manufacturing.
But how does a shoe turn into a ski boot?
Here's how it works.
First, Salomon creates a running shoe
made entirely out of TPU.
It says this new shoe won't compromise quality
or durability.
Instead of throwing it away,
customers return the shoes to Salomon,
which will then clean the shoe
and grind it down into small particles,
like these.
This used to be a shoe.
Salomon then combines the recycled TPU
with new TPU and creates a ski-boot shell.
It's kind of like a sandcastle.
A bunch of little particles that can be combined
to form something new.
Salomon says it will use 20% to 50% recycled TPU
in each ski boot.
Eventually, Salomon hopes to collect and recycle
the ski-boot shell as well.
But Salomon isn't the only company
creating sustainable footwear.
Adidas' Futurecraft Loop is the company's first
100% recyclable shoe.
It also uses TPU.
Adidas wants customers to return their used shoes
so it can recycle them into a brand-new pair.
Both companies expect these products
to be available in 2021.
Of course, you don't have to wait a year
to start recycling your shoes.
Donating lightly used shoes can benefit someone in need
and reduce waste.
And Salomon isn't stopping with this one shoe.
The company's Play Minded Program is designed
to do three things: protect the outdoors,
create more sustainable products,
and educate its customers on responsible ways
to enjoy the outdoors.
Salomon wants 70% of its waste to be recycled
or reused by 2025.
And the company has pledged to stop
using perfluorinated chemicals by 2023.
PFCs are used in durable water repellent finishes,
which are common in outdoor clothing.
But they can be harmful to both humans and animals.
All these changes bring us a little closer
to a more sustainable future.