The shoe industry is facing a turning point: recycling has to be rethought – away from classic approaches, to holistic solutions. The Federal Association of the Schuh and Leatherware Industry EV (HDS/L) drives this topic with the project “Circular Economy in the shoe industry. Creating circuits. forward.
On May 27, HDS/L-CEO Manfred Junkert and his deputy Torben Schütz together with industry representatives in the chemical park informed themselves about innovative technologies-especially about chemical recycling using pyrolysis. The host was the Arcus company, which wants to set new standards in dealing with plastic waste with the first commercial pyrolysis complex in Germany.
The central question: Can this technology be made usable for shoes? The discussion clearly showed that technological change in shoe cycling is urgently necessary – for resource conservation and climate protection. Torben Schütz emphasized: “There will be not only one way. We will check different approaches and are open to new, including chemical, solutions. It is crucial that we take responsibility as an industry.”
The goal remains clear: a sustainable circular economy that does not understand recycling as an option, but as an integral part of the value chain.
