Fashion for Good announce new initiative ‘’Closing the Footwear Loop’’

Bringing 14 footwear and fashion brands together

It’s widely recognised that the fast fashion industry has environmental consequences but what about the specifics of the footwear industry? Well, 22 billion pairs of shoes are dumped into landfills each year and the complex design of footwear is usually made up of around 60 different components, making it difficult to separate materials and recycle effectively. This is where Fashion for Good’s new project steps in. 

Amsterdam's Fashion For Good is a worldwide initiative committed to transforming the fashion industry for the benefit of both humanity and the environment. A core aspect of their work is their innovation platform, where they collaborate with brands, retailers, funders, and manufacturers to drive digital solutions that ensure a sustainable future.

What does "Closing the Loop" mean?

The project ‘’Closing the Loop’’was born out of a previous project called ‘’Pioneering the Future of Footwear’’ which addressed the key intervention points needed to promote and initiate footwear circularity across work streams in the supply chain. Due to such a project being reliant on industry wide collaboration, Fashion for Good launched a call to action asking those who could, to join the movement. 

‘’Closing the Loop’’ will specifically look at these points, lack of end-of-life infrastructure, complex multi-material designs, and a need for unified circularity approaches. The goals of the project are broken down into three deliverables, to create a detailed map of European waste streams, a roadmap towards circular footwear design and researching and scouting technology that validates end-of-use innovations. This project demonstrates Fashion For Good’s dedication to creating environmentally friendly solutions to the challenges that the footwear industry creates for the planet. These solutions will not only assist on a national level, but also across the globe. 

A community of fashion forward thinkers

It’s not just Fashion for Good that are turning heads when it comes to solutions against fast fashion – Amsterdam is a hub of talent when it comes to industry-breaking ideas that are assisting with the issues that fast fashion imposes. Amsterdam-based Loop.a life specialises in circular knitwear, they collect knitwear that has been placed in the textile bin and they convert it to new fashion and interior products.

Alongside Loop.a life's Unrobe’s mission is to focus on ethical production, providing their customers clothes made from sustainable, GOTS-certified organic cotton. With this amount of fashion innovation calling Amsterdam home, it’s clear to say that the Netherlands is playing a leading part when it comes to the textile transition.

Get to know more about Fashion for Good's work.