All CSR & Sustainability articles
-
ArticleOnline spending up sharply among young Germans
Young German consumers are spending significantly more online, with influencers shaping their choices more and more, and social shopping likely to remain a key driver of online retail growth, according to a survey conducted by Postbank among 1,000 young people between the ages of 16 and 18. In the ...
-
ArticleCirql unveils a new biodegradable midsole technology
At ISPO Munich 2024, held from Dec. 3 to 5, Cirql, the subsidiary of OrthoLite, unveiled its latest material innovation: Cirql Zero, an industrially compostable and biodegradable foam designed for midsole components. Alongside its recyclable Cirql rTPU30 midsole, Cirql is providing footwear brands with comprehensive solutions that address the entire ...
-
News briefsDow launches low-carbon material solutions for the footwear industry
Dow launched a portfolio of low-carbon material solutions which it claims can help the footwear industry “develop more sustainable products which offer the same high-performance results.” The upgraded portfolio consists of bio-circular* materials attributed under a mass balance approach, reversible cross-linking resins, post-consumer recycled resins and polyolefin elastomers for artificial ...
-
ArticleMount to Coast and BASF collaborate to produce a midsole
Mount to Coast, a Hong Kong brand specializing in ultrarunning and long-distance shoes, entered a partnership with BASF to explore high-performance, sustainable solutions for runners. CircleCELL, a midsole, is the first footwear technology produced by the collaboration. Based on BASF’s new biopolymer ecoflex BMB, the midsole is 90 percent more ...
-
News briefs
HDS/L launches circular economy project
The German footwear and leather goods trade association, HDS/L, has launched a circular economy project to guide and assist the industry as it faces the challenge of transforming its production model. The ‘Circular Economy in the Footwear Industry. Creating Cycles. Securing the Future’ project aims to develop viable strategies and ...
-
Article
Mec Europa launches a training academy
Mec Europa Due, an Italian producer of luxury footwear based at Verolanuova, south of the town of Brescia, inaugurated a training academy called l’Accademia delle Arti e dei Mestieri. The academy will provide theoretical and on-the-job training. “The initiative is aimed at preparing new employees and younger workers to ...
-
ArticleFirst Italian shoemaker obtains VCS sustainability certification
Corrado Maretto is the first Italian company to have obtained an environmental, social and governance (ESG) certification under the VCS (Verified & Certified Steps) program launched by Assocalzaturifici, the Italian footwear association. The company engaged in a self-assessment of its ESG performance using a software package designed by Spin360, a ...
-
ArticleSteve’s seeks to raise up to €300,000 in crowd funding
Steve’s, an Italian producer of sustainable premium sneakers, is seeking to raise between €100,000 and €300,000 in a crowdfunding campaign through the Mamacrowd platform. Founded in 2022 in Turin by Giulia Gandini and Filippo Gandini, Steve’s produces sneakers made from Appleskin, a material produced from the skins and cores of ...
-
News briefs
Italian regulator probes Shein for allegedly misleading sustainability claims
The Italian antitrust agency, AGCM, has launched an investigation into Infinite Styles Services CO. Limited, a Dublin-based company that manages the Italian website of the Chinese fast fashion group Shein, for allegedly misleading information regarding the “environmental sustainability” of the retailer’s clothing. The agency believes that some content included in ...
-
ArticleAgra’s footwear cluster produces 45 tonnes of waste daily
The Indian city of Agra generates 45 tonnes of footwear waste every day, according to the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) which has put forward a string of recommendations to improve waste management especially among informal shoe manufacturers. Agra is home to the Taj Mahal, and as ...
-
News briefs
ANWR and Sabu present an education platform for the shoe industry
The German footwear buying group ANWR and the German shoe retail cooperative Sabu have launched their first joint project, the “Wissenswelt” (Knowledge World) platform. The online platform offers training resources for staff across more than 4,500 points of sale in the shoe industry, with a strong emphasis on video-based ...
-
ArticleYulex launches a new high performance natural rubber
The US company Yulex launched Yulex2.0, a new high performance natural rubber material proposed as an alternative to neoprene. The product has applications across a range of products including footwear as well as wetsuits, sportswear, sports equipment, sports medicine and accessories. Jeff Martin, the founder of Julex said “we saw ...
-
ArticleSecond hand reselling enjoys booming popularity in Russia
The Russian fashion market has witnessed a staggering 30 percent surge in the sale of secondhand goods in 2023, a trend that is rapidly gaining momentum, as estimated by the Moscow-based think tank, Fashion Consulting Group. Last year, the segment was valued at 200 billion rubles (€2bn), which was equivalent ...
-
News briefs
Designer Brands launches the Designer Brands Foundation
Designer Brands launched the Designer Brands Foundation whose purpose is “to advance the empowerment of individuals by removing barriers and helping them put their best foot forward.” It added that “notable contributions” have already been made through the foundation, including a $50,000 donation from the DSW Foundation, which is part ...
-
News briefs
Celanese introduces a new biobased foam polymer for athletic footwear
Celanese has presented a new biobased foam polymer called HytrelTPC RS40F2, which, when foamed, is “ideal” for athletic footwear applications. According to the US specialty materials and chemical company, the “pristine white foamed biobased Hytrel TPC RS40F2 is well-suited to the midsole components of athletic footwear as it delivers lightweighting ...
-
News briefs
Soles4Souls launches a national campaign in the US
Soles4Souls, a US nonprofit organization, launched on July 24 its first national campaign urging Americans to donate shoes and apparel “that can open the doors of opportunity for millions of people.” “In a world where access to basic necessities like shoes and clothing can determine one’s future, Soles4Souls is stepping ...
-
News briefs
Sustainability is becoming more important for Germans shoppers
Sustainability is playing a growing role in buying behavior among German shoppers, with nearly half of consumers now making sustainable purchases, according to the latest Sustainability Consumer Monitor from HDE, the German retail association. General sustainability awareness among consumers increased and the number of sustainability-conscious shoppers also ticked up, with ...
-
News briefs
No new class in the coming school year at Pirmasens shoe school
For the first time in 20 years, the shoe school (Schuhfachschule) in Pirmasens, in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany, will not have a new class for the coming school year due to a lack of applicants. This marks a sharp downturn from just a few years ago, when the ...
-
ArticleItalian shoemakers agree on a new labor contract
Assocalzaturifici, which represents the Italian footwear industry, and the trade unions Filctem - CGIL, Femca - Cisl and Uiltec - Uil signed on July 17 a new nationwide collective labor agreement. The contract is effective from Jan. 1, 2024 and will last until Dec. 31, 2026. The previous contract expired ...
-
News briefs
Crocs releases its Comfort Report
Crocs has released its third annual Comfort Report, highlighting the company’s progress in corporate responsibility, including initiatives in social responsibility and sustainability. In the report, the company claims to have reached a “milestone” in material innovation by exceeding a monthly average of 20 percent bio-circular content in its proprietary Croslite ...
