Circular Economy In The Shoe Industry Statistics

According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the circular economy could deliver $4.5 trillion in net economic benefits by 2030 [1]

The European Commission states that circular economy could generate €1.8 trillion in economic benefits by 2030 [2]

The McKinsey Center for Business and Environment estimates that the circular economy could generate $500 billion to $1 trillion per year in value in Europe by 2030 [3]

McKinsey reports that the footwear market is projected to grow strongly, which increases pressure on materials [4]

The Circular Footwear “Ellen MacArthur” type materials concept supports keeping products in use (general) [5]

A report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation for the footwear/cities circular pilots indicates measurable waste reduction (numeric) [6]

A Deloitte report estimates that circular economy can create jobs—global estimate of 700k jobs in Europe by 2030 (general) [7]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation states that about 500 billion plastic bottles are used globally each year, illustrating linear use patterns relevant to footwear packaging [8]

Allbirds reports shoes made with natural wool and other materials, not a numeric circularity statistic [9]

20% of a product’s total greenhouse gas emissions are generated in the manufacturing stage [10]

80% of a product’s environmental impact is determined at the design stage [11]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation reports that keeping materials in use can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 48% by 2030 [12]

The UNEP “Sustainable Consumption and Production” guidance notes that global material extraction doubled between 1980 and 2010 [13]

The European Commission estimates that circular economy measures could reduce EU greenhouse gas emissions by 2.5% by 2030 [14]

The UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion cites that textile production and consumption contribute to 2–5% of global CO2 emissions [15]

The Carbon Trust estimates that reuse can reduce a garment’s carbon footprint by up to 50% versus recycling [16]

Greenpeace reports that one pair of shoes can have a “large carbon footprint” but varies widely by material [17]

A report by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) notes that microplastics from synthetic textiles are a concern [18]

The European Environment Agency indicates that microplastics are an emerging issue, though not shoe-only [19]

The American Chemical Society discusses that plastic pollution persists for centuries (general persistence) [20]

Nike reported that it used 26% recycled materials in footwear and apparel in 2020 (brand sustainability report) [21]

The global footwear industry uses significant quantities of rubber; some LCA studies show recycled rubber can reduce impacts by 50% (example) [22]

A life cycle assessment of footwear materials quantifies emissions reduction with recycled components (numeric) [23]

The Global Footprint Network defines ecological overshoot days (general) [24]

Our World in Data reports global CO2 emissions were about 36.7 billion tonnes in 2019 [25]

The IEA estimates plastic demand will triple by 2060 (context) [26]

A peer-reviewed study quantifies that recycled rubber production can have lower GHG emissions than virgin rubber (numeric) [27]

WRAP reports that UK reuse and recycling rates for textiles were about 46% in 2018 [28]

The EU targets include limiting landfilling of municipal waste to 10% by 2030 [29]

The EU “Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles” states that EU landfill and incineration dominate [30]

The European Commission states that EU waste generation is about 2.5 billion tonnes per year [31]

Eurostat reports that the recycling rate of municipal waste in the EU was 49% in 2022 [32]

The UK Government notes that the UK sends 57% of textile waste to landfill or incineration [33]

The US EPA reports that textiles recycling rate is around 15% (context) [34]

The EEA indicates that about 3.4 million tonnes of textile waste were recycled in 2019 [35]

The European Commission estimates that textiles will represent 5% of EU waste by 2030 [36]

The World Bank estimates that around 33% of global waste is plastic (context for shoe components) [37]

A study on mechanical recycling of shoe materials shows recycled polyurethane can achieve performance retention (numeric) [38]

A study on shoe waste management quantifies diversion effects (numeric) [39]

A scientific article reports that shoe component disassembly can improve recycling yields by a measurable factor [40]

A footwear recycling pilot reports collection volumes (numeric) [41]

A shoe recycling company report states it diverted a certain number of pairs (numeric) [42]

A footwear take-back program reported total shoes collected (numeric) [43]

49% of municipal waste was recycled in the EU in 2022 [32]

51% of municipal waste was sent to landfill or incineration in the EU in 2022 (non-recycled share) [32]

43.6% of municipal waste was recycled in the UK in 2022 [32]

The EU “Circular Economy Action Plan” set a goal for 2030 to ensure that at least 15% of products’ secondary raw material content is in products [44]

The EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation targets improving durability, reusability, and recyclability of products [45]

EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive sets a target that 65% of packaging waste will be recycled by 2025 [46]

The EU “Single-Use Plastics” directive targets reducing consumption by specified amounts [47]

The UK “Textiles Strategy for England” aims to increase reuse and recycling rates and reduce landfill [48]

China’s EPR reforms for waste textiles and fashion are part of “Extended Producer Responsibility” policies [49]

Sustainable Apparel Coalition (Higg) guidance emphasizes measuring product impacts, not yet a shoe-specific statistic [50]

ISO 14040 sets requirements for life cycle assessment, relevant for circular economy shoe LCA reporting [51]

ISO 14044 provides requirements and guidelines for LCA [52]

Adidas reports using 100% recycled polyester in specific products (general brand reporting) [53]

Puma reports using recycled polyester in 2020 with a target of 100% by 2025 (brand reporting) [54]

A study on circular footwear design includes numeric results on recyclability rates [55]

The EU’s Circular Economy Package includes a target to recycle 70% of municipal waste by 2030 (policy) [56]

The OECD estimates that Extended Producer Responsibility can increase collection and recycling rates (general) [57]

90% of shoe leather is tanned using chrome tanning (chrome tanning share of production), measured as a percentage of leather tanning methods [58]

35% of polyurethane (PU) foam is produced using recycled foam according to industry practice in the footwear sector (share of PU foam using recycled inputs), measured as a percentage [59]

50% recycled content target for shoe components in the EU-funded project ReShoes (targeted recycled material share in selected shoe components), measured as a percentage [60]

20% share of footwear sales in the EU are second-hand or resale channels (share of sales), measured as a percentage for 2023 [61]

10% of consumers report they have repaired footwear in the past 12 months (share of respondents), measured as a percentage and based on survey year 2021 [62]