Kane Footwear launches recycling program to turn used shoes into yoga mats

Kane Footwear launches Project Renew, a new upcycling program for their Revive slip-on. 

Kane Footwear, the leader in sustainable active recovery footwear, is thrilled to announce the launch of Project Renew – a new upcycling program for customers to send back well-loved Revive slip-ons and have them converted into yoga and changing mats.

Kane Footwear is partnering with Lavarubber to bring Project Renew to life: Customers will request a prepaid shipping label on Kane’s site, and the shoes will be sent to Lavarubber to be shredded into flakes that can then be incorporated into mats. Flakes of Revive slip-ons are mixed with a generic Lavarubber mix, including wetsuits. All together, all the materials incorporated into the yoga mat keep five pounds of scrap out of the landfill.

“Lava Rubber and Kane Footwear are focused on providing customers with consciously-made goods, and it was only natural we work together,” Michael Briody, Founder and CRO at Lava Rubber, said. “We recognized the same positive energy in each other’s business models and knew our collaboration would produce something special. The KANE x Lava Rubber Mat Collection really brings our visions together and translates them into a physical form. Each mat is unique and considered a 1 of 1. We hope the world enjoys these as much as we do!”

In exchange for returning their well-loved Revive slip-ons to be upcycled, customers will receive a $10 gift card to the Kane site.

“Sustainability has always been a core tenet of Kane’s principles, and this latest initiative expands our offerings even further, providing customers with a simple upcycling option,” John Gagliardi, Kane Footwear Founder and CEO, said. “The teal Kane logo on these mats, which are made from recycled Revives, pays homage to our previous Earth Day shoe. Every year we offer a special Earth Day launch, and this year we’re excited to launch both a special shoe design and Project Renew, our biggest step yet in expanding our sustainability promise.”

This year, Kane is launching their Earth Day shoe in a Sunset/Earth Speckle colorway in celebration of the heritage of the Brazilian sugarcane that inspired their product. The Revive slip-on is made with RestoreFoam, a plant-based EVA foam composed of over 75% Brazilian sugarcane byproduct. This foam retains CO2 sequestered during the sugarcane’s growth cycle, making it a carbon-negative material.

Click here to get this year’s Earth Day shoe from Kane’s website.