Recycle your Boots is a project promoted by Tecnica in collaboration with six partners including Sportsystem Foundation. The three-year project (2021-2024) is financed by the EU’s LIFE Programme. The project seeks to introduce the logic of the circular economy into the ski boot industry. Traditionally, when a ski boot reaches the end of its lifespan it ends up in landfill due to the challenges associated with recycling both the shell (composed of plastic compounds, metal parts, alloys, and fabrics) and the liner (crafted from a variety of materials). This project has created a means of collecting unwanted ski boots of any brand and model through a reverse logistics network of distribution channels, as well as online. Thanks to the collaboration of the partners, the boots are taken apart, plastics are shredded, and where possible, components are recycled. At the same time, research is being conducted into the feasibility of reusing some components (for example repurposing the insides of liners to manufacture safety protection mats for ski areas). Fondazione Sportsystem is responsible for rolling out the project nationally and ensuring it can easily be replicated within the Sportsystem district.
Partners: Tecnica (project leader), Sportsystem Foundation, Fecam, La Prima Plastics, Intersport, FESI (Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry, University of Padua).