The Footwear Collective is launched: To catalyze industry's circularity transformation

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Nov. 1, 2023 - PRLog -- Brooks Running, Crocs Inc., ECCO, New Balance, On, Reformation, Target, and Vibram have joined forces together with EarthDNA to launch The Footwear Collective (TFC), a non-profit initiative dedicated to uniting the global footwear industry to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.

In 2022, 23.9 billion pairs of shoes were produced globally, most of which will eventually end up in landfill or being incinerated, according to Statista. Most sustainability efforts in the fashion industry have been focused on apparel rather than footwear due to the complexity of manufacturing and material mix composition of shoes. We have a unique opportunity to create collective action to decarbonize this industry by driving change towards a circular economy.

Leading footwear producers and industry stakeholders from these eight companies represent the founding members who have united under the understanding that the Footwear Industry must transition from a linear to a circular system, and that this transition can be accelerated by aligning as an industry to create scalable impact. TFC is unifying the footwear industry to create global solutions for this innovative, waste-minimizing, emissions-reducing, circular approach.

TFC is the first industry-specific initiative of EarthDNA. TFC perfectly complements EarthDNA's other data-driven technology initiatives, including an advanced AI-driven open climate platform and a student climate leadership ambassadors program empowering next generation climate leaders to accelerate change and positive actions to save Planet Earth.

Brooks Running
"Brooks is proud to be a founding member of The Footwear Collective that will play a critical role in helping achieve our circular ambitions, a key part of our Planet 2030 strategy to protect the planet we run on," said Dave Kemp, Director, Corporate Responsibility at Brooks Running. "We recognize the complexity of developing circular systems and the importance in collaborating within the footwear industry to unlock solutions that will scale and accelerate our journey to circularity."

Crocs, Inc. (Brands: Crocs, HEYDUDE)
"At Crocs, Inc., which encompasses the Crocs and HEYDUDE brands, we are proud to be a founding member of The Footwear Collective effort, connecting thought leadership and pragmatic action with industry experts to develop and scale solutions toward a circular economy," shared Deanna Bratter, Vice President, Global Head of Sustainability & ESG. "We believe every footwear brand has a responsibility to consider how their products and production methods affect society and the environment."

ECCO
At ECCO, we have a longstanding commitment to improving the sustainability and circularity efforts in the world of footwear and leather manufacturing. On a global scale, we need strong partnerships to secure progress, and the foundation of the Footwear Collective is an important milestone in moving our industry towards a more circular future.

New Balance
New Balance is excited to be part of The Footwear Collective so that we can deepen our impact when it comes to reducing waste and scaling circularity. We are continuously seeking opportunities to drive circularity in our industry through low waste design methodology and circular systems, and we look forward to joining forces with others in the industry who take this responsibility as seriously as we do.

On
We believe saving the planet is a team sport and we can move faster with a collaborative approach. On is excited to be part of the Footwear Collective and we see this as an important driver in moving our industry towards a more circular future.

Reformation
"It is imperative that we partner together to move not only footwear but fashion as a whole towards circular solutions. Footwear is particularly complex from a manufacturing standpoint which makes nonlinear end of life strategies difficult to develop and scale. We're excited to bring our experience to the table and to learn from others' as founding members of The Footwear Collective in an effort to create a better shared future for the industry," said Carolyn Swenson, Senior Materials Manager, Product Innovation, at Reformation.

Vibram
"As an 80 plus years old company and a horizontal key component of the footwear industry, Vibram is committed to improving sustainability and circularity through collaborative work with other brands and organizations. Vibram is honored to be a founding member of The Footwear Collective to create lasting impact, reach common sustainability market goals, improve the sustainability of products and processes and to positively educate citizens toward making conscious and informed choices," Marco Guazzoni, Sustainability Director, Vibram Group.

The Footwear Collective
"TFC is excited and deeply appreciative of the commitment of our founding members who embrace the urgent need to apply technology in a collaborative approach to develop solutions for this industry that will have lasting, global impact and act as a model for other industries tackling equally-complex sustainability challenges," said Dr. Yuly Fuentes, Founder & Executive Director of The Footwear Collective. "There is no time to wait to collaboratively build the infrastructure needed to succeed at scale to combat climate change, the most pressing challenge for the health, security, and viability of humanity and all living species."

EarthDNA
"EarthDNA is excited to launch The Footwear Collective Initiative as a new opportunity and model for industries to collaborate across industries, academia, brands, and suppliers - recognizing the strengths and importance of each collaborator, but also the need to bring all of these perspectives and expertise together to solve the complex problems that propel climate change,'" offers Guillermo Trotti, The Footwear Collective and EarthDNA Co-Founder. "For EarthDNA this is the beginning of something big."

About The Footwear Collective
The Footwear Collective was established to catalyze a sustainable future for the footwear industry. Driving industry-wide collaboration and scalable circular solutions aims to ensure the footwear of the future will not leave a footprint. For more information, visit earthdna.org/home/the-footwear-collective.

About EarthDNA
EarthDNA is a nonprofit organization with the mission to empower everyone to act every day to heal spaceship Earth within one decade by interacting with a curated AI operating platform. Led by experts in the aerospace industry, science, academia, policy, and industry, EarthDNA's efforts in technology, industry, and education focus on ensuring the sustainability of our home planet through the intersecting design of people, technology, and the environment. For more information, visit https://earthDNA.org.