Timberland Takes Sustainability One Giant Step Forward with Its First Recyclable Footwear

Posted: 06/29/2009 In Category: Outdoor Manufacturer

Industry News Release Written By: Timberland

STRATHAM, N.H.--In a conscious effort to reduce both material use and waste, The Timberland Company unveiled today its Earthkeepers 2.0 boot – the first footwear the company has designed to be disassembled and recycled, rather than discarded, at the end of its product life. After wearing them on life’s many adventures, consumers who buy the Earthkeepers 2.0 boots simply return them to any Timberland store for recycling.

Timberland has a long history of environmental stewardship both in its business operations as well as in the design and manufacture of its products. The Earthkeepers 2.0 boot was designed with eco-conscious features like Green Rubber soles in response to consumers’ growing demand for beautiful and eco-friendly footwear. Along with this attention to how the product is developed at the outset, the company is undertaking a cutting-edge “second life” program to pilot reusing components from the returned boot to make a new pair of shoes.

“We can be deliberate about designing the ‘greenest’ footwear out there -- but if at the end of the day those products still end up in a landfill, we haven’t really closed the loop on our environmental responsibility,” explains Brian Moore, VP Men’s Product. “With Earthkeepers 2.0, we have an opportunity to influence the environmental impact of our products in a way we haven’t before – after the point of purchase.”

Eighty percent of the Earthkeepers 2.0 boot can be recycled or re-used, including:

• Leather that is refurbished at the company’s factory in the Dominican Republic.
• Green Rubber™ soles that will go back to a Green Rubber™ factory in Georgia for recycling. Green Rubber’s patented D-Link technology effectively breaks down tire-rubber so that it can be recycled repeatedly back into new products, including Timberland outsoles.
• Removable metal hardware that can be reused in new footwear or recycled.
• Polyester lining that can be recycled into new polyester products.

The Earthkeepers 2.0 boot, part of a broader Earthkeepers collection, will be available to consumers in Fall 2009.

Launched in 2007 with two core styles, Timberland’s Earthkeepers™ Collection today includes more than 40 skus of eco-conscious footwear that deliver premium, contemporary styling while using materials like recycled PET linings, organic cotton and leathers from tanneries achieving Leather Working Group silver rated status for industry leading water, waste and energy management.

Timberland (NYSE: TBL) is a global leader in the design, engineering and marketing of premium-quality footwear, apparel and accessories for consumers who value the outdoors and their time in it. Timberland markets products under the Timberland®, Timberland PRO®, SmartWool®, Timberland Boot Company™, Howies® and IPATH® brands, all of which offer quality workmanship and detailing and are built to withstand the elements of nature. The company’s products can be found in leading department and specialty stores as well as Timberland® retail stores throughout North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, South Africa and the Middle East. Timberland’s dedication to making quality products is matched by the company’s commitment to “doing well and doing good" -- forging powerful partnerships among employees, consumers and service partners to transform the communities in which they live and work. To learn more about Timberland, please visit www.timberland.com. To learn more about earthkeeping, visit www.earthkeeper.com.

Green Rubber, Inc. is a subsidiary of the Kuala-Lumpur based conglomerate The Petra Group. The company’s DeLink technology provides a way of recycling waste rubber into a cost effective, high quality rubber compound that can be used in a huge range of new applications including tires, shoe and boot soles, hoses, mats, sporting goods and automotive and industrial products. Vinod Sekhar and Green Rubber recently received the prestigious Global Green product design award for the company’s revolutionary recycled rubber compound. To learn more about Green Rubber please visit www.green-rubber.com.

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