Objective To establish the extent to which waste materials can be reused within the footwear industry. To establish the use, within the footwear industry, of waste from other industries and the use of footwear waste in other industries. The reuse of materials will lead to reduction in the environmental impact of the industry both from reduction in the use of virgin material and the avoidance of problems caused by waste disposal.In the EC member states footwear production in 1992 amounted to 1073 million pairs. The material content of these shoes averages 1.2 kg per pair, excluding factory waste. Every manufacturer produces waste much of which is simply sent to landfill or incinerated. It is estimated that footwear production generates in excess of 100 000 tonnes of waste leather alone in a year. The cost of disposal of this and other waste is becoming increasingly expensive and economic alternatives must be found. Material scrap such as leather, insole boards, thermoplastic polymers and textiles all have the potential to be recycled, either within the footwear industry or within other industrial sectors such as packaging and construction. Other industries such as automotive, packaging and furniture use similar materials to the footwear industry and generate large amounts of waste both in production and at end of product life. In automotive alone a single average pasenger vehicle contains an estimated 8.5% polymeric material (equivalent to 104 kg for an average passenger vehicle produced in 1992) and this will increase in the future. The recycling of footwear and other industry waste will be demonstrated in the factory environment using existing technology within the footwear industry and also using technologies transferred from other industrial sectors. Markets for footwear waste in other industries will be identified and demonstrated. Programme(s) ENV-LIFE 1 - Regulation (EEC) establishing a financial instrument for the environment (LIFE), 1992-1995 Topic(s) A13 - Development of techniques for the collection, storage, recycling and disposal of waste, particularly toxic and dangerous waste and waste water Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme DEM - Demonstration contracts Coordinator Satra Footwear Technology Centre Ltd. EU contribution No data Address Footwear Technology Centre Rockingham Road NN16 9JH Kettering United Kingdom See on map Total cost No data
