Metro Brands Ltd. has announced a renewed commitment to recycling old, discarded footwear (ODF) through a partnership with ReCircle and other collaborators, aiming to address environmental challenges. The goal of this initiative is to reduce waste, lower emissions, promote circular economy principles, and achieve self-sustainability with clear, measurable targets.

ODF, often neglected and improperly discarded, contributes to landfills and ocean pollution, exacerbating environmental damage. This initiative seeks to support informal waste workers, enabling them to increase their earnings, expand their businesses, and create jobs, while diverting old shoes from landfills and oceans.

Aziz Fidai, Head of CSR and Sustainability at Metro Brands Ltd., expressed enthusiasm for the partnership with ReCircle and other CSR partners, emphasizing its importance in addressing the environmental impact of the expanding footwear industry.

In FY2021–22, Metro Brands processed 5% of ODF as part of a pilot project. This figure increased to 25% in FY2022–23 and reached about 50% in FY2023–24, with ReCircle processing 1,300 tonnes of ODF. The company aims to achieve 75% coverage relative to the new footwear pairs sold this year, with complete coverage targeted by FY2025–26.

Rahul Nainani, CEO and Co-Founder of ReCircle, a clean-tech leader in resource recovery, highlighted the importance of this partnership in demonstrating the potential of circularity and sustainability in addressing local environmental challenges.