18 Feb Learn how the Reweart sole can minimize environmental impact and re-educate us at the same time.
The objective of the circular economy is to definitively change the way in which we produce and consume, it consists of doing more with less, it brings us back to the simple, trying to break the dependence: production-consumption of raw materials, making the most of each material and extending its useful life.
Through eco-design, it seeks to generate circular products that allow the easy separation of all materials, providing new ways of management and processing of these to avoid that at the end of their useful life they are eliminated and can be recovered to start a new life, “closing the circle”.
But what is the uniqueness of the Reweart sole to re-educate and minimize its impact through circular design?
The consortium of the Life Reweart project, aware that eco-design is the path towards the circularity of products, has started with enthusiasm the research of new formats and has designed a sole that offers two options for its circularity: reuse and recycling.
Within the variety of circular formats, this product allows its producer-manager to select the most viable option according to each case. So you can reuse the sole in new shoes or recycle when it is not possible to give it another use and recover its initial performance.
Under this concept, Reweart creates a new way to manage the useful life of the sole: “Infinite Sole”, a returnable sole, which thanks to the durability of ECOTPU (material used for its manufacture) and the simple system of separation to the textile part of the cut, positioning itself as a great alternative to the footwear of the mass linear industry, is an act that can be carried out by the same consumer and thus remind us of the importance of prioritizing the reuse of recycling.
This improvement guarantees that each material can be managed either for repair or as raw material after use.
Within the circular economy we must be clear that the most important thing is to reduce consumption, minimalism, far from being a fad, is a necessary solution for the reduction of resource consumption and air pollution and protection of current ecosystems, through the non-necessity of over-production.
Once we have already stopped unconscious consumption then Reuse allows us to extend the life of objects without the need to continually replace them. Once we have reduced and reused as much as possible, then Recycling makes it possible to recover natural capital and avoid wasting it.
Life Cycle Analysis
After subjecting to study and Life Cycle Analysis of the processes and materials involved in the extraction and conditioning of the raw materials of Life Reweart, and subsequently the production of footwear, the results confirm that the sole is the element that generates more environmental impact in its production, a study developed by Quantis considers that the footwear sector is responsible for 700 million tons of CO2 eq, or 1.7% of global emissions of Greenhouse Gases and that much of this attribution is due to the extraction of raw materials.
According to the life cycle analysis carried out by INESCOP, for the case of reused soles, the impact due to the nature of the material from its second life would be zero and would only have environmental impacts associated with transport. In the case of recycled soles, sustainability increases with the amount of recycled material incorporated.
With all this, the Carbon Footprint is reduced from 6.25 kg CO2 eq in the “conventional” version to 2.23 kg CO2 eq in the eco-designed version, which represents a 64% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, but which depends largely on the consumer’s commitment at the end of the footwear’s useful life to understand the importance of returning and recycling the footwear.
It is for this reason that a sole has been developed that significantly reduces the environmental footprint of footwear.
A 100% reusable and returnable sole
The Reweart sole currently admits up to 43% of biomaterial in the composition and has the possibility of reusing 100% of its material in other productions through the recycling of the same and a system based on the return of the sole, from the consumer to the producer, in which the material is revalued for production.
In this change based on the concept of reverse logistics*, the producer also becomes the manager of his products and in this way, his interests are always in line with those of the circular economy*.
And how is this possible?
Once the shoes are received with the sole already separated from the textile part, the materials are reviewed and selected to follow each one on a different path.
On the one hand, the conditioning and reuse of soles that are in good condition, as is done with glass bottles, are reused avoiding the unnecessary manufacture of new soles, saving raw materials and energy consumption, and thus reducing the Carbon Footprint.
And on the other hand, the complete recycling of those that cannot be reused to turn them into a new sole, as more soles are returned, the higher the percentage of recycled soles in the Reweart soles.
The same happens with the textile part in parallel processes.
CONCLUSION:
As we have seen, thanks to eco-design and conscious selection of materials, from Reweart we offer a circular product without giving up attractive, conscious designs and with the highest standard of comfort and quality.
It is time to close the circle, the concept of Infinite Sole allows us to Reuse and Repair and when you can no longer continue to use … Recycle.
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