“We are proud to partner with Goodwill SoCal – the original reuse experts. For over a century, Goodwill has been giving products, including footwear, a second life. At The Footwear Collective, we share that vision: every pair deserves its highest and best use. But some shoes have been loved so much that repair or resale just is not an option. That is the code we need to crack – and those are the shoes we are determined to transform, unlocking new pathways to keep their materials in use for a truly circular future”, stated Yuly Fuentes-Medel, Executive Director of The Footwear Collective.

The Footwear Collective has launched the Footwear Futures Project in Los Angeles. This month-long initiative invites consumers to donate any pair of shoes, regardless of brand or condition, at participating Goodwill SoCal locations throughout October 2025. Fifty collection sites across the county are taking part, with wearable shoes resold through Goodwill’s existing programmes and end-of-life footwear sent for testing to advance recycling and material recovery methods.

At its foundation, the Footwear Futures Project represents a collaboration between consumers, nonprofits, innovators and leading global footwear brands. Member companies, including Altra, Brooks, Crocs, ECCO, New Balance, ON, Reformation, Steve Madden, Target and Vans, are all working together to tackle the systemic barriers preventing circularity in the industry. Gregg Meyer, Chief Sustainability Officer at Steve Madden, emphasised that the initiative enables collaboration that “pushes the entire industry toward a more sustainable future”.

Beyond industry involvement, consumers play a pivotal role in driving the project’s success. Margaret Frericks, Director at Goodwill SoCal, underlined how the partnership builds upon the organisation’s social mission: “This partnership allows us to give consumers an easy way to keep even their most worn shoes in circulation, creating both environmental impact and opportunities for the communities we serve”.

Once collected, all donated shoes will be sorted at Goodwill SoCal locations. Pairs that cannot be resold will be redirected to the project’s sorting partner, where they will be assessed and shipped to a network of innovators exploring new ways to separate materials and enable full recyclability. The Footwear Collective has pledged to maintain transparency by publishing regular progress updates on its website, detailing how the shoes are being processed and what solutions are being tested.