CSR & Sustainability
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ArticleCirql launches a fully recyclable midsole made from 30% recycled TPU
The US-based insole specialist OrthoLite, the company behind Cirql, a provider of sustainable material solutions for the global footwear industry, has launched a new midsole foam called Cirql rTPU30. According to Cirql, the patented innovation consists of 30 percent recycled thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) material and is manufactured through a chemical-free, ...
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ArticleH&M and Inditex accused of allegedly using unethical Brazilian cotton
The British non-governmental organization (NGO) Earthsight is accusing H&M and Inditex of allegedly using cotton “linked to land grabbing, illegal deforestation, violence, human rights violations and corruption in Brazil.” It is also calling on governments to regulate the fashion industry on the grounds that it has failed to ensure sustainability ...
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ArticleNovoloop’s pilot plant for recycled plastic comes on stream in India
Novoloop, a US plastic circular economy technology company, announced the startup of its pilot plant in Surat, India. The plant was built in collaboration with Aether Industries, an Indian speciality chemical manufacturer. Groundbreak for the plant was announced in January 2024 and construction completed in March 2024. The pilot plant ...
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ArticleHyosung to build a bio-BDO factory in Vietnam as part of a $1bn investment plan
Hyosung TNC plans to build a bio-butanediol (BDO) factory in Vietnam with an annual production capacity of 50,000 tons. The project is part of a $1 billion investment program to reach an annual output of 200,000 tons of bio-BDO. On March 30, Hyosung TNC received approval for the “Hyosung BDO ...
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ArticleKeen introduces a hiking shoe with a lifetime guarantee regarding delamination
Keen introduced the Targhee IV, which it claims is the first shoe in the industry to have a delamination-free lifetime guarantee. Targhee IV is “a boot made to be the last hiking shoe you buy,” the US brand said in a statement. Delamination is when the glue used to adhere ...
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ArticleAsos, Boohoo, George at Asda commit to green claim rules in the UK
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said that Asos, Boohoo and George at Asda have signed undertakings that commit them to an agreed set of rules around the use of green claims. The regulator also issued an open letter urging fashion retailers to review their claims and practices in ...
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ArticleTempe to build a new distribution center in Valencia region
Tempe, the footwear unit of Inditex, will build a new 141,000 square-meter distribution center in the Valencia region. The announcement was made by Inditex which plans to invest €900 million a year in 2024 and 2025 to increase its logistics capacity. The other projects include a new 286,000 square-meter distribution ...
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ArticleFrance’s proposal against fast fashion
The administration of French President Emmanuel Macron, founder of the Renaissance party, will support a law proposed by an opposition party to penalize fast fashion. The text in question is no. 2268, “aiming to render fast-fashion out of fashion, thanks to a system of incentives and penalties.” Its proponent is ...
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ArticleHow a French startup helps to manage unsold stocks
The clearance of unsold stock is a financial and environmental conundrum for manufacturers and retailers and the issue is likely to become more acute in the current poor business environment and amid growing pressure to avoid waste and promote a circular economy. Data by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. ...
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ArticleFor Ever to produce compostable soles with Balena’s technology
For Ever, a Portuguese sole brand created in 1973, is joining forces with Balena to produce compostable soles. Balena is a circular economy startup founded in 2020 and located in Tel Aviv. The collaboration, unveiled on Feb. 20 during the Milan-based trade show Lineapelle, will combine For Ever’s mold injection ...
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ArticleLenzing, Recyc Leather launch Pélinova with Ganni’s Slouchy Boots
Lenzing, an Austrian producer of wood-based specialty fibers, has partnered with Recyc Leather, a leather alternative expert, to introduce Pélinova, an innovative material that fuses Lenzing’s Tencel Lyocell fibers and recycled leather fibers for high-end fashion applications. The duo joined forces with the Danish brand Ganni to bring the material ...
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ArticleDestruction of new shoes is an absolute exception in Germany
The destruction of new apparel and footwear is the absolute exception and new items only make up a small fraction of the goods sent to the landfill, according to Germany’s textile, shoes and leather goods trade association, BTE. The remarks followed the European Union’s steps in early December of ...
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Article
CEC welcomes EU comprise on ecodesign
The European Footwear Confederation (CEC) welcomed a compromise reached on Dec. 4 between the European Parliament and the European Council regarding proposed legislation on ecodesign for Sustainable Product Regulation launched by the European Commission on March 30, 2022. It also believes that the forthcoming legislation could relaunch leather as a ...
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ArticleEU to ban the destruction of unsold clothing and footwear
During the night of Dec. 4, the European Parliament and the European Council reached a provisional agreement, at a technical level, on revising the European Union’s ecodesign framework for sustainable products, the parliament said. The parties plan to introduce “ecodesign” rules for products, ban the destruction of unsold clothing and ...
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ArticleCoats’ sales trends improve in H2
In the four months running from July 1 to Oct. 31, Coats’ overall revenues fell by a reported 9 percent year-on-year, while organic revenues dropped by 12 percent at constant currency rates, an improvement on the first half of the year. In the first six months of 2023, organic growth ...
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ArticleLegero United wins eAward business prize for its ecological database
The footwear group Legero United was awarded the Austrian business prize eAward for its ecological database. The company won the award, one of the largest IT business awards in Austria and German-speaking countries, in the “Sustainability and smart data” category. The company’s own ecological database allows to calculate ...
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ArticleThe Footwear Collective seeks to drive industry’s transformation towards circularity
Athletic and outdoor footwear brands Brooks Running, New Balance, On, Vibram, Crocs and Ecco, along with US lifestyle brand Reformation and U.S. retailer Target, have partnered with EarthDNA to launch The Footwear Collective (TFC), a non-profit initiative dedicated to uniting the global footwear industry to accelerate the ...
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ArticleFirst Italian companies ready for ESG certification under trade association’s aegis
Out of the nine companies that have engaged into a self-assessment of environmental, social and governance (ESG) performances under the aegis of Assocalzaturifici, the Italian footwear association, three are now ready to enter the certification phase. The audit phase, which will be carried out by ICEC, an independent certification institute ...
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ArticleWorld Shoe opens a shoe factory in Ghana
On Oct. 10, World Shoe announced the opening of its inaugural factory in Ghana to produce the first antimicrobial, eco-friendly footwear brand manufactured in Africa. ”The production launch represents a collaborative effort among public, private, and civil service sectors to provide high-quality, low-cost products for retail consumers throughout African and ...
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ArticleHuntsman launches a liquid thermoplastic polyurethane for midsoles with framas
Huntsman said that it has developed a liquid thermoplastic polyurethane (LTPU) that enables the rapid manufacture of high-performing midsoles and is “aligned with the circularity ambitions of brands manufacturing sports and athleisure footwear.” The system is being launched jointly with framas, a German firm specializing in injection moulding and plastic ...
