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The footwear industry's race towards circularity

29 Aug '25

5 min read

The footwear industry's race towards circularity

Insights

Majority of used footwear still going to landfill or incineration.
Circular transition remains uneven and far from universal.
Many initiatives remain pilots rather than large-scale solutions.
Challenges in scaling recycling infrastructure, ensuring transparency, and avoiding greenwashing persist.
Policy and regulation will be decisive in shaping the industry's next steps.

As a result, around ** per cent of used shoes are still incinerated or sent to landfills, where they release pollutants and greenhouse gases.

In response, footwear companies are beginning to overhaul this linear system by experimenting with circular design and recycled materials. These approaches aim to lessen dependence on virgin resources while producing shoes that are easier to repair, disassemble and recreate. Nike’s long-running ‘Reuse-A-Shoe’ programme now collects more than *.* million pairs annually, while adidas has rolled out recycled polyester across its product lines. Such initiatives suggest a growing commitment to circularity, even if the transition remains uneven and far from universal.