Over 300 million people worldwide can’t afford shoes — and yet, over 300 million shoes are thrown away each year in the United States alone.
For 30 to 40 years, those shoes slowly leach dyes and adhesives into soil and groundwater as they sit in overcrowded landfills.
“Most people throw away their athletic shoes and sneakers after 8-12 months of wear without ever considering recycling them,” Sneakers4Good, a global recycling program, wrote in a mission statement. “Since sneakers are not biodegradable, this can have drastic consequences for the environment.”
Looking to meet a need — and counter environmental waste at the same time — Sneakers4Good began a national program to recycle gently used shoes to people in need.
“Our Sneakers4Good program was built for the running community with sustainability in mind,” the company stated. “It’s a way for runners to give their sneakers a second life and give back to their community. We work specifically with marathons like St. Jude & Boston Marathon, running clubs, gyms, tennis and pickleball facilities, and run specialty stores across the country.”
In the last decade, the social enterprise has gradually expanded its influence to help underserved communities outside of the U.S.
Working with small businesses in over 20 developing countries, shoes recycled through Sneakers4Good have been sold in shacks, stalls, and shops owned and operated by over 4,000 families across Haiti, Cambodia, Guatemala, and more.
Luba Designs Tech, a business that has been working with Sneakers4Good since 2018, praised the program’s reach: “As a small store, [we] welcome the opportunity to put back into our local community … as well as feeling we are part of a bigger world mission of lifting up individuals in other countries.”
A version of this article originally appeared in the 2025 Fashion Edition of the Goodnewspaper.
Header image via Samuel Devantier
