American footwear brand Kane Footwear and rubber upcycling company Lavarubber have launched Project Renew, a program that will turn used shoes into yoga mats.
“We recognised the same positive energy in each other’s business models and knew our collaboration would produce something special,” said Michael Briody, founder and CRO at Lavarubber.
To participate in the program, customers can request a prepaid shipping label from Kane’s website and ship out their used Kane Revive slip-ons to Lavarubber. The upcycling company will then shred the used footwear into flakes and mixed with a generic “Lavarubber mix” to produce unique yoga and changing mats.
In addition, customers will receive a US$10 gift card for returning their slip-ons for upcycling.
The initiative expects to keep 2.2kg of scrap from landfills for every mat produced.
John Gagliardi, founder and CEO of Kane Footwear, said sustainability has always been the core tenet of the company’s principles, and the latest initiative expands its offerings further by providing customers with a simple upcycling option.
“The teal Kane logo on these mats, made from recycled Revives, pays homage to our previous Earth Day shoe,” explained Gagliardi.
“Every year, we offer a special Earth Day launch, and this year we’re excited to launch both a special shoe design and Project Renew, our biggest step yet in expanding our sustainability promise.”
