CSR & Sustainability
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ArticleHow a Tuscan startup is helping upcycle leather deadstocks
Zerow is a Tuscan-based marketplace established for the upcycling of fabric and leather leftovers. As the company’s name indicates, the “w” standing for waste, its purpose is to eliminate discarded materials and deadstock by transforming them into a resource. The company was founded by Alessio Troisi and Gabriele Rorandelli, who ...
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ArticleBioShoes4All project nears finish line with campaign to promote conscious consumption
BioShoes4All, an initiative to bolster the sustainability of Portugal’s footwear supply chain launched in 2022, is nearing the finish line, with the Portuguese footwear industry association Apiccaps announcing in mid-October that 85 percent of BioShoes4All projects had been completed and unveiling an international campaign to promote the conscious consumption of ...
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ArticleEuropean Parliament proposes 16-year age limit to access social media
A committee of the European Parliament is proposing a 16-year old age limit to access social media in order to protect minors’ safety online On Oct. 16, the members of the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee of the European Parliament adopted a report, by 32 votes in favour, ...
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ArticleCambrelle launches production in Vietnam
Cambrelle, a British lining brand for footwear, said that it is expanding capacity to Vietnam, where production is now underway to meet the growing local supply needs of global brands. The Vietnamese plant can also produce Cambrelle with fully recycled fiber. Cambrelle is a bicomponent fiber that combines two polyamides, ...
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ArticleHow Stanbee uses innovation to cut component costs, improve athletic shoe performance
The US shoe component manufacturer Stanbee uses a patented foaming process to infuse nitrogen gas into the polymer core of its Nitro line of heel counters and toe boxes, replacing part of the core with gas to bring down costs and turn out a product that is lighter in weight ...
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ArticleWolverine launches a junior board
Wolverine Worldwide launched an inaugural junior board, an advisory body consisting of 11 early-career professionals “responsible for elevating the voices and perspectives of the company’s emerging talent and further strengthening its culture of innovation and collaboration,” according to a statement. The members of the junior board were selected after an ...
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ArticleEuropeans buying and discarding clothing and shoes at record levels
Europeans are buying and discarding more clothing, footwear and other textiles than ever before, which, as a result, is putting more pressure on the climate and environment, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing. “The updated consumption data highlights the need for policymakers, industry and consumers to play their ...
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ArticleBoohoo to rebrand as Debenhams in bid to arrest sales slump
Boohoo is rebranding as Debenhams Group as part of new Chief Executive Dan Finley’s plans to turn around the fortunes of the British online fast fashion amid an ongoing tough trading environment. Boohoo said Debenhams, which it bought out of administration after its collapse in 2021, was now growing rapidly ...
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ArticleOnline spending up sharply among young Germans
Young German consumers are spending significantly more online, with influencers shaping their choices more and more, and social shopping likely to remain a key driver of online retail growth, according to a survey conducted by Postbank among 1,000 young people between the ages of 16 and 18. In the ...
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ArticleCirql unveils a new biodegradable midsole technology
At ISPO Munich 2024, held from Dec. 3 to 5, Cirql, the subsidiary of OrthoLite, unveiled its latest material innovation: Cirql Zero, an industrially compostable and biodegradable foam designed for midsole components. Alongside its recyclable Cirql rTPU30 midsole, Cirql is providing footwear brands with comprehensive solutions that address the entire ...
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ArticleMount to Coast and BASF collaborate to produce a midsole
Mount to Coast, a Hong Kong brand specializing in ultrarunning and long-distance shoes, entered a partnership with BASF to explore high-performance, sustainable solutions for runners. CircleCELL, a midsole, is the first footwear technology produced by the collaboration. Based on BASF’s new biopolymer ecoflex BMB, the midsole is 90 percent more ...
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Mec Europa launches a training academy
Mec Europa Due, an Italian producer of luxury footwear based at Verolanuova, south of the town of Brescia, inaugurated a training academy called l’Accademia delle Arti e dei Mestieri. The academy will provide theoretical and on-the-job training. “The initiative is aimed at preparing new employees and younger workers to ...
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ArticleFirst Italian shoemaker obtains VCS sustainability certification
Corrado Maretto is the first Italian company to have obtained an environmental, social and governance (ESG) certification under the VCS (Verified & Certified Steps) program launched by Assocalzaturifici, the Italian footwear association. The company engaged in a self-assessment of its ESG performance using a software package designed by Spin360, a ...
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ArticleSteve’s seeks to raise up to €300,000 in crowd funding
Steve’s, an Italian producer of sustainable premium sneakers, is seeking to raise between €100,000 and €300,000 in a crowdfunding campaign through the Mamacrowd platform. Founded in 2022 in Turin by Giulia Gandini and Filippo Gandini, Steve’s produces sneakers made from Appleskin, a material produced from the skins and cores of ...
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ArticleAgra’s footwear cluster produces 45 tonnes of waste daily
The Indian city of Agra generates 45 tonnes of footwear waste every day, according to the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) which has put forward a string of recommendations to improve waste management especially among informal shoe manufacturers. Agra is home to the Taj Mahal, and as ...
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ArticleYulex launches a new high performance natural rubber
The US company Yulex launched Yulex2.0, a new high performance natural rubber material proposed as an alternative to neoprene. The product has applications across a range of products including footwear as well as wetsuits, sportswear, sports equipment, sports medicine and accessories. Jeff Martin, the founder of Julex said “we saw ...
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ArticleSecond hand reselling enjoys booming popularity in Russia
The Russian fashion market has witnessed a staggering 30 percent surge in the sale of secondhand goods in 2023, a trend that is rapidly gaining momentum, as estimated by the Moscow-based think tank, Fashion Consulting Group. Last year, the segment was valued at 200 billion rubles (€2bn), which was equivalent ...
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ArticleItalian shoemakers agree on a new labor contract
Assocalzaturifici, which represents the Italian footwear industry, and the trade unions Filctem - CGIL, Femca - Cisl and Uiltec - Uil signed on July 17 a new nationwide collective labor agreement. The contract is effective from Jan. 1, 2024 and will last until Dec. 31, 2026. The previous contract expired ...
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ArticleCompostable sneakers are inching closer to the mass market
In late April, Puma announced that it would make a commercial version of its Re:Suede 2.0 compostable sneaker. The brand had created 500 pairs of its Re:Suede sneaker in 2021 as an experimental project, then asked volunteers to wear them for half a year to test comfort and durability. Now, ...
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ArticleCrocs extends its shoe takeback program to whole of continental US
Crocs has extended its “Old Crocs. New Life” shoe takeback program to the whole of continental US. All Crocs retail and outlet locations in the country, excluding Hawaii and Puerto Rico, are now equipped with designated collection boxes to drop off Crocs shoes in any condition. Anyone with used Crocs ...
