Steel Blue, TreadLightly aim to recycle old work boots
Safety footwear manufacturer, Steel Blue, is stepping up to help reduce its environmental footprint alongside a new national recycling program, TreadLightly.
Steel Blue, alongside other shoe manufacturers and powered by the Australian Sporting Goods Association (ASGA) and recycler Save Our Soles (SOS), is participating in a pilot program for TreadLightly to recycle work boots.
TreadLightly takes unwanted sport and active lifestyle shoes and gives them a second life as gym mats, anti-fatigue mats and retail flooring among other things. In a six-month trial led by Steel Blue, recycling bins were placed in leading safety supply stores including IWS Group, SWF Group and Hip Pocket as part of a pilot program where Victorians can dispose of their old work boots.
Steel Blue chief executive, Garry Johnson, comments on his motivations for the program: “We are continually looking for ways to reduce our environmental footprint; be it through reducing the use of solvent-based chemicals in our manufacturing or introducing more recyclable material into our packaging.
“A well-built shoe can take over 1,000 years to decompose. The TreadLightly program means that our boots will continue to benefit people instead of contributing to the world’s waste problem.”
The TreadLightly initiative is part of Steel Blue’s In Our Stride social responsibility strategy.
“To amplify the outcomes of the trial, it was important that we also secured the support and participation of our competitors. The need for a recycling program is apparent to everyone in the industry and we are excited to be able to step up and take a leading role in this project,” Garry adds.
“Cross-industry collaboration is key in having a meaningful impact. We want the pilot program to succeed so we can get more recycling stations, in more stores, across Australia.”