RePURpose, a consortium made up of the Danish Technological Institute and several Danish companies, among them Ecco, might have taken the first steps towards a recycling method for the ubiquitous plastic known as polyurethane (PU) that results in no loss of quality. For the moment, says Ecco’s chief executive, Steen Borgholm, “no other material can give our shoes the same characteristics. And even those that come close do not have a better environmental profile.” Hence the company’s desire to look into the options. RePURpose is in fact exploring two methods: ReUSE and ReCYCLE. The former aims to eliminate waste from the manufacturing of PU by channeling it into the manufacture of new products. The latter aims to take the PU of end products and break it down into its chemical building blocks, preserving both its properties and its market value. The project began in 2019 and will run through 2022. For more information, visit the RePURpose website.

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