Sneakers leave indelible marks on the moments of each of our lives. But if they were to reach the end of their life cycle, would we know what to do?
Having forcefully entered but benevolently accepted by prevailing fashion standards, sneakers are an indisputable icon of underground style, and that’s not all. Today, various phenomena and new collaborations revolve around their sale, including reselling—yes, even (arguably) Lidl shoes—especially in the case of limited editions.
But if fashions fade, do sneakers remain? Yes. And I’ll explain how.
Consumerist history aside, the need has arisen to take care of shoes that are no longer used, considering that companies produce approximately 24.2 billion of them globally every year, with far too few recycling solutions.
Furthermore, since most are made of plastic-based components and “PVC and EVA represent 35% of them, they can take up to a thousand years to decompose,” as Sahadat Hossain, director of the Solid Waste Institute for Sustainability, stated on Fashionista.
And throwing them in the general waste, as some of you might have thought, would be harmful due to the release of heavy metals and toxic chemicals, whereas the plastic component is highly recyclable.
The solution? It lies in esosport: an all-Italian disposal project that provides an interactive map in specific stores which, by identifying where to leave your sneakers, gives them a new lease on life.
A second life that, by generating value, reads as social responsibility: old shoes will allow for the creation of shock-absorbing athletic flooring or the redevelopment of a playground. And following the rules of green marketing, for major manufacturing companies—like sneaker giants Nike and Adidas—it has become a given to move toward a sharing economy, which fortunately is no longer considered niche.
Next move? Creating shoes exclusively with biodegradable materials, a must that will never go out of style: it’s très chic!
#FacceCaso
By Eleonora Santini
Source: www.faccecaso.com