Picture the scene: Summer is coming to a close and the flip-flops you’ve worn all season are a tad on the raggedy side. But unless you’ve literally walked holes into them, chances are you’ll hold onto them, and come Summer 2014, you’ll finally toss ’em out and buy a new pair. This is where Patagonia comes in.
The California-based brand is expanding its collaboration with Plus Compound Technologies (in 2012 they debuted 100 percent recyclable sandals made with PlusFoam materials) to offer free shipping and convenient drop off locations to streamline consumers’ ability to recycle.
By using PlusFoam in its Spring/Summer 2012 and 2013 collections, Patagonia prevented approximately 10,000 pounds of scrap waste from entering landfills and incinerators. “Addessing end-of-life solutions for footwear is a challenge,” says Sue Harvey Brown of Patagonia. “Our partnership with PlusFoam to create a fully recyclable flip-flop allows us to truly ‘close the loop’ in the footwear product cycle. We hope consumers will take advantage of the free shipping to return their spent flips and keep them out of landfills.”
Consumers can return used PlusFoam flips via free shipping, drop them in into any Patagonia store’s Common Threads Recycling Bin, or send them directly to the PlusFoam Reclaim Center at 844 Production Place, Newport Beach, CA 92663.
