Recycled materials in footwear production

Investigating current challenges faced by shoemaking companies using recycled content, and the possible future for this strategy.

by Nicola Pichel-Juan

The use of materials and components made entirely or partially from recycled content is a common approach adopted by footwear companies to reduce the environmental impacts of their products. Recycled materials eliminate waste and reduce the use of virgin raw materials. The volume of recycled materials used in footwear is only likely to increase going forwards and a number of factors are driving this.

For example, in France companies receive a rebate on ‘Extended Producer Responsibility’ (EPR) fees for clothing and footwear of EUR 1,000 for each tonne of recycled material used in products placed onto the French market. The European Union is planning to set requirements for minimum levels of recycled content in clothing and footwear as part of its Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). Consumer demand for the availability of sustainable products is also increasing.

This article will explore exactly what recycled materials are, how they are made, and how they can be used. Key considerations when using recycled materials, as well as the potential to develop footwear that is recyclable at the end of its life will also be highlighted.

What is a recycled material?

A recycled material is ‘a material that has been reprocessed from reclaimed material through a manufacturing process and made into a final product or a material or component for incorporation into another product’. BS EN ISO 14021:2016 outlines two categories of recycled materials:

• materials made from pre-consumer waste when scrap or waste from a material manufacturing process is collected and used to manufacture a new material
• materials made from post-consumer waste (which is generated by either households or businesses) is collected and thereafter used to manufacture a new material.

It is also important to understand what does not count as a ‘recycled’ material input. Rework, regrind or scrap created in a production process and reused within the same process does not meet the definition of ‘recycled.’ This would include, for instance, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), thermoplastic rubber (TPR), or thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) sprue from the moulding process that is ground or cut up and put back into the same moulding process.

Methods for recycling materials

Mechanical recycling and chemical recycling are the two main methods used to convert waste materials into new materials. Table 1 provides a comparison of the two methods.

Table 1: Mechanical versus chemical recycling
	Mechanical recycling	Chemical recycling
Process overview	Waste material is shredded, melted and remoulded. No change to its chemical structure.	Plastic polymers are broken down into their constituent monomers.
Examples	Plastic bottles recycled into either new bottles or into polyester materials used in applications such as clothing and footwear.	Recycled nylon produced from inputs which may include discarded carpets and fishing nets.
Pros	Low energy use and cost-effective way to recycle materials.	Produces high quality material inputs, equivalent to virgin materials.
Cons	The quality of the material can degrade over time as it is repeatedly recycled. Colour and texture can be inconsistent.	High energy use, limited scale and availability of the technology.

A third option for recycling materials is thermo-chemical recycling. This process converts materials into fuels or feedstocks and is therefore less likely to be directly relevant for the footwear industry as a source of raw materials.

Recycled materials used in footwear

Most footwear materials and components are now available in options containing at least some recycled content. Recycled polyester (R-PET) produced from waste plastic bottles is used to manufacture upper materials or laces. Midsoles and outsoles are available that incorporate recycled ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) or rubber. Toe puffs (box toes) and stiffeners (counters) can be produced from recycled plastic, sometimes using plastic recovered from oceans or repurposed from discarded fishing nets.

Leather waste has historically been used to make leatherboard, which can be utilised to produce items such as heel stacks, welts and insoles. However, it is now also being reprocessed to make new upper materials. It is also very common for footwear packaging to include recycled cardboard content.

Communicating and verifying recycled content

In the UK, US and Europe, there are no specific guidelines relating to communicating the recycled content in footwear. For example, the European Union’s footwear labelling requirements state that pictograms must be used to identify the material type(s) used for the upper, the lining/insole and the outer sole, but there is no mechanism to identify if any recycled content has been used.

Nevertheless, there is legislation in many countries targeting ‘green washing,’ and it is therefore crucial that any claims made about the use of recycled content are clear, unambiguous and can be substantiated. For instance, if an upper is made from 30 per cent recycled content, it should be clear in any communication that this figure refers to the upper only, and not to the shoe as a whole.

Although there is no legal requirement to verify that a material contains any recycled content, most companies will opt to conduct due diligence checks to ensure that they can back up any claims that they are making.

The most reliable option is likely to be supply chain verification, through a voluntary standard such as the schemes available through the Global Recycled Standard or the Forest Stewardship Council. These schemes will typically follow a chain of custody methodology to verify and track materials through the supply chain. This will involve a combination of document checks and, in certain cases, site visits and audits to answer the following questions:

1. How was the waste generated?
2. Is the waste percentage in line with industry norms?
3. What process is the waste going into (perhaps fibre production)?
4. How was the waste turned into a usable input?

As an alternative to the certified schemes, some companies may choose to use less onerous processes and will rely on such documents as supplier declarations and certificates of compliance.

A further option is to apply molecular tags or DNA tags to raw materials. The presence of the tags can then be verified as the material passes through the supply chain to confirm its origin. The tags could be used, for example, to track recycled polyester from pellets to fibre, to filament to finished product. This type of technology has not yet been widely adopted by the footwear or textile industries, potentially due to the complexity and cost of implementation.

There are also laboratory testing methods that claim to be able to confirm the presence of recycled content in a material. One test measures the concentration of isophthalic acid in a material. This is a compound typically added during the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle manufacturing process, which in turn can be used as a ‘marker’ to identify recycled polyester made from PET bottles. Another option is to measure a polymer’s response to heating, as it is expected that this will change each time the material is recycled.

While these tests could be useful in validating the properties of certain materials, SATRA does not believe that they are foolproof and would always recommend using the tests in conjunction with supply chain verification.

Challenges

As with any substance, recycled materials are not without their challenges, some of which are discussed in more detail below.

Firstly, a recycled material must be fit for purpose for its intended application. If a recycled material is to be used in a footwear upper, it needs to be able to meet the demands that will be placed on it during manufacturing and in wear. Recycled materials must also comply with any relevant restricted substances legislation based on their use and the geographic locations into which they are ultimately being sold.

This legislation is constantly changing, and the onus will be on the material manufacturer to ensure that their products are compliant. The footwear manufacturer, brands and retailers will also need to be aware of any risks and carry out their own due diligence.

Recycled materials can also have an obviously ‘recycled’ appearance, with variable and inconsistent colours or texture, which could be off putting for consumers. However, organisations can instead use these features as a selling point to highlight the footwear’s sustainable credentials.

When selecting recycled materials, organisations should assess the full environmental impact of the material across its entire supply chain, comparing it to the impact of the virgin materials it is replacing. A lifecycle assessment (LCA) is a useful tool for this purpose. Recycling processes, for instance, can be energy intensive. Additionally, any analysis that is conducted should consider the impacts of transporting the materials.

Another challenge could be the financial impact of using recycled materials. In many cases, these will cost more than the virgin materials they are replacing, and they may not be a viable economic option for companies who are working to tight margins.

Recycled content does not equal recyclable

A material produced from recycled inputs is not necessarily going to be easy to recycle. If that material is part of a shoe, it is likely to be even more difficult to recover it for recycling.

Footwear is notoriously difficult to recycle. Most shoes contain many different material and component types that are stitched and glued together in such a way that the shoe cannot easily be separated back into its constituent parts for recycling. However, there has been progress in this area in recent years:

• more companies are designing shoes for disassembly
• more companies are developing mono-material shoes that are easier to recycle
• more companies are setting up their own dedicated take-back schemes for footwear
• new recycling plants are opening that can at scale separate footwear into individual material waste streams.

Going forwards

As part of a transition to a circular economy model, it makes sense to increase the amount of recycled materials used to manufacture footwear and to make footwear that can itself be recycled.

However, at the time of writing this article in 2025, the textile recycling industry in Europe is facing significant challenges. Recycling facilities are struggling to make a profit, and in some cases are even going out of business.

It is likely that robust government support and targeted investment will be necessary to scale recycling technologies and infrastructure. Legislation that sets minimum levels for recycled content in certain products will then create demand for recycled materials, thus supporting recycling industries.

It also needs to be financially viable to use recycled materials. Initiatives such as reduced EPR fees and tax breaks for companies using recycled content can help to encourage the uptake by shoemakers of these materials.

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 12 of the October 2025 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

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