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  • 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.

This is what it looks like

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