The LIFE RE-SHOES project, formally titled “Sorting and recovery worn-out shoes and production scraps to make secondary raw materials for manufacture new recycled shoes”, was funded by the European Union under the LIFE Programme. It ran from September 2022 to February 2026, with a total budget of EUR 2.67 million and an EU contribution of EUR 1.60 million. Coordinated by Calzaturificio S.C.A.R.P.A. S.p.A. (Italy), the consortium brought together industrial companies, research organisations and innovation partners from across Europe. LIFE RE-SHOES aimed to demonstrate a circular and sustainable approach to footwear end-of-life management by collecting and sorting used shoes to recover secondary raw materials for the production of new footwear. The project addressed challenges related to footwear waste, low recycling rates and the disposal of production scraps, supporting more resource-efficient and circular value chains within the footwear sector. 

A central focus of LIFE RE-SHOES was the development and demonstration of circular solutions for the collection, recovery and reuse of footwear materials.

Key achievements of the project include:

• Implementation and validation of a pilot circular footwear system involving collection campaigns in more than 30 micro-collection areas across Italy, Austria and Germany. Project partners collected worn-out shoes and production scraps, sorted and separated their footwear components, and recovered materials such as leather and rubber for use in new footwear products.
• Demonstration of material recovery technologies for leather and rubber (e.g. leather regeneration and rubber devulcanisation), enabling the production of secondary raw materials suitable for reintroduction into footwear manufacturing processes.
• Design and production of a new eco-designed footwear model incorporating recycled secondary raw materials derived from recovered shoes.
   

LIFE RE-SHOES contributed to EU objectives under the Circular Economy Action Plan, the European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy and broader resource-efficiency policies by promoting the recovery and reuse of materials that would otherwise become waste. By demonstrating circular approaches to footwear production and end-of-life management, the project supported waste reduction, resource conservation and improved environmental performance across the footwear value chain. The project also contributed to sustainability objectives by exploring alternatives to conventional production processes, including reductions in material consumption, water use, energy use and chemical inputs.  

LIFE RE-SHOES was implemented through close collaboration between footwear manufacturers, material specialists, innovation organisations and research institutions. The consortium combined expertise in footwear design and production, leather processing, rubber recycling, logistics, sustainability assessment and innovation management, supporting collaboration across multiple stages of the value chain. Knowledge exchange was facilitated through joint research and development activities, pilot demonstrations, testing and validation processes, and stakeholder engagement initiatives. Project results were disseminated through social media channels and public events, helping to raise awareness of circular approaches to footwear recycling and material recovery.