A nonprofit in France is tackling fast-fashion waste by salvaging used sneakers. SneakCœurZ, based east of Paris, collects thousands of pairs each week, inspecting them to determine if they can be resold, redistributed, or must be discarded.
Last year, the organisation collected 30,000 pairs and resold 2,000. It aims to scale up operations, with director general Mohamed Boukhatem stating, 'Today, there is no project of this scale in the sneaker sector. We are the only ones able to industrialise both the processes and the collection of sneakers for reuse.'
The work highlights France's growing waste problem. The textile industry is among the world's most polluting, accounting for up to 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the United Nations. In 2020, textiles were the third-largest source of water degradation and land use in the EU, the European Parliament has said.
Refashion, the French government-approved eco-organisation, reports that 259 million pairs of shoes were sold in France in 2024. Only about a third of used textiles and footwear are separately collected, with much of the rest left in cupboards or thrown away with household waste.
At the workshop in Champs-sur-Marne, workers inspect shoes for structural integrity. 'A damaged Velcro strap isn't a deal breaker. A lace isn't a deal breaker. Dirt is never a deal breaker,' said workshop manager Paul Defawes Abadie. 'What really matters is the wear of the structural materials, especially the outsole.' Salvageable pairs are cleaned, disinfected, and sometimes whitened under UV light before being put back into circulation.
The nonprofit has redistributed more than 7,000 pairs to people in need and created 19 jobs. Boukhatem said, 'Over the next three years, the goal is to triple or even quadruple these volumes and move to an industrial scale.' France has also introduced laws to combat fast-fashion waste, including a 2020 anti-waste law and a repair bonus for clothing and shoes introduced in November 2023.
