Second Chance is a sustainability project launched by Timberland in Portugal, challenging Portuguese citizens to participate in the fight against waste by handing in used footwear, which the brand commits to collecting and recycling.
In line with the standards recently approved by the European Union, aimed at a greater commitment to promoting a circular economy and the sustainability of materials, Timberland's initiative seeks to address the problem of textile waste.
With the motto "give your footwear a second chance," the initiative collected 2.600 kilograms of used footwear through 104 participating stores across Europe in 2017. It has now arrived in Portugal with the participation of 21 stores nationwide. " Portugal is increasingly fashionable and, naturally, this is a strategic market for Timberland. The Second Chance initiative aims to combat one of the biggest environmental problems of our time, raising awareness among our consumers about adopting socially and environmentally responsible behavior ," says Susana Silva, Head of Brand and Marketing for Timberland within the Brodheim Group.
The campaign is already active in all Timberland stores and, in exchange for helping reduce footwear waste, the brand offers a €10 discount on the next purchase of a pair of Timberland shoes. The deposited items are sent to the facilities of the partner company in this initiative, Wippytex, where they are selected and sorted to be dismantled for reuse of materials or recycled and transformed into raw materials.
To date, Timberland's environmental responsibility initiatives have resulted in the planting of 8,7 million trees worldwide, generated over one million hours of community service globally, and the recycling of 233 million plastic bottles into Timberland footwear.
By 2020, the brand aims to include at least one recycled, organic, or renewable (ROR) material in all its footwear products, use organic cotton sourced from the United States or from the Better Cotton initiative, produce all footwear and apparel without PVC, reduce energy consumption to 10%, and obtain 50% of its energy from renewable sources. In addition, Timberland aims to achieve a 95% recycling rate, reach 10 million trees, and involve 80% of its employees in community service.
