Footwear is responsible for as much as a third of the environmental impact generated by the entire fashion industry, despite accounting for less than a tenth of the industry’s total value. In other words, your shoes are probably leaving a big footprint, and footwear brands have been heading back to the drawing board for solutions to offset the damage. Some, like the Santa Barbara, California–based company SeaVees, are racing to do it. For a shoe manufacturer, those changes look like circular, eco-minded design and responsibly sourced, sustainable materials. The SeaChange sneaker specifically is the result of the SeaVees design team rethinking several key components of the shoe: There, decomposing organic shoe materials like leather release methane, which is 28 times more impactful1 to the climate than carbon dioxide. While we wait for footwear recycling options to expand, here are a few things we can do instead of tossing ’em out with the garbage: Donate them. If your shoes are still in usable condition, donating them can give them another chance to wear out—with one big caveat: There’s no guarantee your shoes will find a second home, and it’s likely they could also end up in a developing country’s landfill. Ship them out. A zero-waste shoe box like this one, which accepts all kinds of shoes, gets shipped via FedEx once they’re full for recycling. Purchasing one can get pricey, so tag a few friends to do it with you. Find a textile drop-off bin or a take-back program near you. A clothing/shoe drop-off bin can help ensure it goes to the right recycling facility. Also, check to see if your shoe brand has a take-back program—many offer this for proper shoe recycling and often give you a discount on your next pair. Some companies, like SeaVees, have in-store initiatives that accept your beat-up shoes, regardless of the brand. Keep them kicking. Wear your shoes as long as they last. And if you’re able, buying higher-quality shoes that will last longer to begin with is just another way to practice the first “R” in reduce, reuse, recycle. Hey mbg readers! Take 20% off your SeaVees purchase using discount code MBG20.
