The Danish footwear brand Ecco has to admit that it cannot do without a material such as polyurethane (PU) in the production of footwear. However, the Danes do not want to stay out of the trend towards sustainable production and want to be as environmentally responsible as other shoe manufacturers who make shoes from environmentally friendly materials or recycled plastics.
In this regard, Ecco decided to focus on finding opportunities for the processing of polyurethane, which is known to be used not only in the production of shoe soles, but also in the production of mattresses, insulation materials, components of wind turbines, and medical devices. More than 16 million tons of polyurethane is used worldwide every year, and according to Ecco, PU use will continue to grow rapidly in the future.
Today, only a few methods of PU processing are known. And these methods result in lower quality and lower cost product. With this in mind, Ecco has launched a project to find a way to more sustainable polyurethane lifecycle, and is moving in two directions: ReUSE - channeling waste from PU production towards new products; ReCYCLE - completely converts polyurethane from expired products to original building blocks. The project, launched in 2019, will last two more years. The participants hope that upon completion of the study, they will find a way to eliminate the PU waste.
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