We are happy to say that we at SWF Group have partnered with Tread Lightly, a national recycling initiative helping Australians to recycle their pre-loved shoes by giving them new life as anti-fatigue mats, gym mats and retail flooring, on a pilot program to help reduce the amount of old work boots going into landfill.

The TreadLightly initiative is powered by the Australian Sporting Goods Association (ASGA) and Australia’s premium recycler Save Our Soles (SOS).

“It’s great to see TreadLightly turn a brand solution into a whole of industry solution, because we know that when we create collaborative models, we amplify outcomes. I’m proud of the work boot industry for working together to find a responsible end-of-life solution to their used footwear,” said John Elliott, Director, Save Our Soles (SOS).

“TreadLightly is passionate about driving a truly circular economy and expanding the initiative to run a work boot pilot-program is another step in the right direction. Victorians can simply take their unwanted work boots into selected retailers to have them recycled instead of just throwing them in the bin and adding to Australia’s environmental waste,” said Shaun Bajada, Executive Director, ASGA.

Did you know that only 1% of all pre-loved footwear around the globe is currently collected and recycled? The other 99% ends up in landfill where the components can take up to 1000 years to decompose. This is why we believe in the importance of working together to provide an alternative to putting work boots in landfill.

The work boots collected will be mixed with sports and active lifestyle footwear, along with tyres and other waste to create a great blend for rubber mats and retail flooring. All material is collected, recycled and manufactured in Australia – providing a local solution to a global waste problem. 

We have collection units located in both our Bairnsdale and Sale stores where you can drop off your old work boots and rest assured that they will be given new life, although you may not recognise them the next time you see them!

Together we can step up for the environment. Thank you for your support!

SWF Group | 'Safety at Work First!'

View the boot recycling process here