For the vast majority of shoe manufacturers, the sale is the end of the line. Once a pair of shoes is out the door and on the consumer’s feet, whatever happens next to those shoes is someone else’s concern. We know, however, this is not actually the final stop. Shoes may see a second useful life if someone receives them through a donation. But it’s far more likely that they’ll end up in a landfill, which wastes our resources and can lead to the production of harmful byproducts like greenhouse gases as materials decompose underground. Consider these sobering statistics:

• Textiles and clothing generate 17 percent of waste in landfills
• Shoes account for a quarter of textile waste but only about 10 percent of retail production
• We have more fiber in circulation now than we would need to clothe humanity

These are big problems, and they are the reason we started our direct-to-consumer shoe company, Thousand Fell. We make and sell shoes that combine a thoughtful, modern design with sustainably sourced materials such as aloe vera, sugar cane and recycled rubber. Our shoes are stylish, durable and comfortable. They also are recyclable, which is crucial to achieving our goal of eliminating textile waste.

“Our company is now seeing customers recycling shoes after about 10 months of ownership, and we expect to recycle roughly 3,000 pairs per quarter by 2021.”

Thousand Fell created a business model that enables and encourages customers to recycle their shoes. Our customers can return their used shoes to us at no charge, using a prepaid UPS shipping label. Once we receive the old pair, we send the customer $20 that they can apply to their next Thousand Fell order. The old sneakers will be broken down in the United States into their component parts to make recycled raw materials, which soon become a new pair of Thousand Fell shoes. Thousand Fell co-founders Stuart Ahlum, left, and Chloe Songer, right.

From dream to reality

The name Thousand Fell reflects our belief that multiple ideas and voices will spur positive change. Years ago, fellmongers brought hides, materials or “fell” to market. Our company aims to update that practice and create new fell. In time, we will have a Thousand Fell library of modern sustainable textiles. This is an enormous goal, but we believe we have a responsibility to advance and bolster a circular economy that eliminates waste. Our vision for Thousand Fell dates back about three years when we saw an opportunity to innovate in the footwear industry. We started experimenting with new materials to make shoes for fun. We both had professional backgrounds in the clothing retail business, and we had developed an interest in sustainable materials. We wanted to see if we could make shoes without leather, and we liked our results. Today, we make casual lace-up and slip-on shoes for customers who share our values and our commitment to empowering our communities. This connection between our brand and our customers is one of our greatest strengths. The customer loyalty we’ve earned amounts to a powerful marketing tool. Our company is now seeing customers recycling shoes after about 10 months of ownership, and we expect to recycle roughly 3,000 pairs per quarter by 2021.

“The benefit of working with UPS is not just its commitment to a circular economy but also its expertise in reverse logistics.”

Like-minded collaborators

From the start, we knew we had two problems to solve:

1. How to recycle a shoe
2. How to get the shoe back from our customers

We needed creative, like-minded collaborators to help us bring our vision to life. We found them in recycling company TerraCycle and UPS. TerraCycle ensures that our old shoes are sustainably recycled and diverted from landfills. UPS handles our complex shipping. The benefit of working with UPS is not just its commitment to a circular economy but also its expertise in reverse logistics. The UPS Store and UPS-authorized partners such as Staples have about 14,400 locations nationwide that serve as drop-off sites for customers returning Thousand Fell shoes. We are working with Ware2Go, a UPS company that provides on-demand warehousing and fulfillment. UPS’s efforts to minimize its carbon footprint also directly align with our values. Such collaborations help make Thousand Fell successful. TerraCycle and UPS enable us to operate on a large enough scale that we can reach and serve a broad base of customers. We can only derive the benefits of a circular economy if a lot of people participate. We know that Thousand Fell is in its early days. But we can see already that the future for our company and the circular economy is bright.