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In the movies, a cleaner arrives at a crime scene and efficiently removes any evidence of a violent offense in minutes. Film montages show the cleaner with spray bottles and cleaning tools of the trade. By the next frame of the movie, the crime scene is spotless. The sneaker industry by design has multiple crime scenes. Companies finding solutions are often working in the front to prevent problems. Think of companies like Natural Fiber Welding making materials that can safely biodegrade, or adidas’ Made to be Remade where runners buy shoes and return them to be recycled at the end of life.
Unfortunately, the mass amounts of sneakers being created for consumption aren’t made with the end of life in mind. Sneakers are designed and shipped to their destinations creating massive amounts of CO2. Those sneakers are made with plastics which are harmful to the environment. Sneaker retail warehouses the shoes and when they aren’t sold, there isn’t a cleaner who comes in to make the storeroom spotless. A complex system of RTV (return to vendor) and disposal solutions are placed in motion.
Sneaker Impact, based in the heart of Miami’s Little Haiti community, has been mistakenly called a charity, or a donation company. Sneaker Impact is neither of those things. The company is a real life cleaner and a solution focused support system for sneaker brands and retailers. Sneaker Impact coined the acronym EXLOS (extending the life of sneakers) after reconsidering their own use of the word sustainable. What exactly does Sneaker Impact do? The company focuses on two collection strategies:
- Purchasing closeouts and damaged products in bulk
- Collecting used sneakers from individuals and via partnerships with retailers and gyms.
Their strategy is not for charity. Sneaker Impact utilizes sneakers as tools for the empowerment of developing communities in international countries. In the past, before the world became aware of the damaging effects of landfills, a brand could damage out and dispose of sneakers without considering the lasting effects on the environment. Today, knowing that landfills contribute considerably to climate change, sneaker brands are creating partnerships and programs to EXLOS. Nike has Refurbished. adidas has partnered with ThredUp. Merrell created ReTread. Unfortunately, these programs can’t catch every product, and with the sneaker industry expected to grow from 58 billion to 88 billion, the industry will continue to contribute to waste entering landfills. Sneaker Impact is in place to assist with prevention and slowing these products from damaging the planet. Sneaker Impact understands the only real solution to slow down product from entering landfills is for brands to stop producing sneakers and consumers to stop buying. That isn’t a realistic approach to problem solving. Brands making better products or remaking old products without damaging solvents and plastics is a solution, but until every company has stopped using thermoplastics and harmful materials, Sneaker Impact is quietly finding solutions.
Silent Solutions with Waste Innovations
The world frowns upon the act of tossing shoes. Last year Nike was found to have been recycling brand new goods: Nike destroys brand new sneakers in Flemish factory ~ World Today News (world-today-news.com) Governments are implementing laws and guidelines, but these rules aren’t helping to EXLOS fast enough. This is where Sneaker Impact steps in. They partner with retailers, gyms and individuals to collect used sneakers. This small-scale intervention can be compared to cleaning a small crime scene at businesses or in the home. On a larger scale, Sneaker Impact takes on considerable closeouts from retailers and brands which really helps, but no solution is ever foolproof. At a crime scene, an ultraviolet light might reveal residue. In the process of collecting, Sneaker Impact encounters product which can’t be utilized in building microeconomies. This is where the company’s recent partnership with Waste Innovations of Broward County comes into play. About 10% of the sneakers taken in are unusable. Waste Innovations takes those sneakers, and they create energy for the power grid. Source: Environmental Innovation | WIN Waste
Source Materials to Recycle with Sneaker Impact
Sneaker Impact is a source for Sneaker Manufacturers looking to create products from post-consumer waste. Brands currently utilizing recycled plastics are invited to visit their warehouse in Miami to source products for insole, midsole and outsole manufacturing. The same methods utilized in sourcing recycled PET for knit based uppers can be utilized in breaking down lower-graded sneakers that aren’t used to help develop microeconomies in underserved nations.
Sneaker Impact’s transparency in finding solutions for these products is not a final solution, but it does offer brands the ability to understand where and how their products are being disposed when they aren’t being used to assist microeconomies. Sneaker Impact has ramped up their financial commitment to EXLOS. They are looking to work with both retailers and brands and hope that the word is spread about their mission. Many countries are being used as dumping grounds. It’s time to actually empower these underdeveloped communities. If you’d like to partner with Sneaker Impact the founder is Moe Hachem. He’s responsive to all inquiries on LinkedIn. It’s the rare instance where the CEO is as accessible as an assistant. Here is his page on LinkedIn.