LIFE showcases the path to a circular economy

Some everyday items are currently just too difficult to recycle, presenting significant challenges to the EU's ambitions for a circular economy. That’s why 6 LIFE projects took part in the recent Reuse Economy Expo to show how they reuse, repair, recondition and remanufacture items ranging from giant off-road vehicle tyres to worn-out leather shoes. Held at the Parc Floral in Paris, the event brought together over 170 exhibitors under the theme of ‘making reuse profitable on a large scale in Europe’.  One such project was LIFE RE-SHOES, led by Italian footwear brand Scarpa, which reprocesses old shoes and leather scraps into a liquid tan for new shoes. The project also aims to reuse excess rubber cut off during the manufacturing process. 'Every year over 24 billion new shoes are produced in the world, most of which end up in landfill at the end of their life cycle. That’s a huge problem for the environment,’ said Tiziano Giordano, sustainability manager at Scarpa. ‘The project’s sustainable business model means old shoes become a source for new materials used directly to produce new ones.’ Also participating were RE-PLAN CITY LIFE — recycling vehicle tyres for use in buildings, sports pitches and road construction — and LIFE InReGEO, which uses high pressure water jets to recycle giant off-road tyres typically used by the mining sector. ‘Both projects showcase practical solutions for reusing products and recycling materials common in our everyday life,’ commented Ettore...