WIERINGERWERF, NETHERLANDS – APRIL 13: Danny Pormes poses with granulate extracted from running … [+] shoes at Fast Feet Grinded, the world’s first shoe recycling factory processing shoes 100% into raw materials plastics, rubber, textile and foam.
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According to the 2021 Circularity Gap Report from the United Nations Economic Commission of Europe, the world economy is only 8.6% circular. Four years ago, in 2018, that number was higher, at 9.1%.
In 2019, more than 23.5 billion shoes were produced yearly, but only 5 % were recycled, with nearly 95% going into landfills.
Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) are directly related to what we extract, produce and consume. So the idea is that if we apply circular strategies to materials and emissions in hotspots, the world could reduce GHG. The circular economy movement is slowly being embraced by businesses, government leaders and consumers as a way to tackle…
