We've partnered with Soles4Souls as part of our continued efforts to combat fast fashion's social and environmental impact.
Because what goes around, comes around.
Shoe Reclamation Program
95% of the clothing and shoes we wear can be recycled or reused, yet 85% ends up in landfills.
As we continue to combat the excessive amount of landfill waste that fast fashion has created, we are committed to working under a circular fashion model—a system that reuses and recirculates products and materials. Help us maximize social impact and minimize environmental impact by sending us your gently worn and used shoes.
Through a collaboration with Soles4Souls, your donated pairs will be given to micro-entrepreneurs in underserved communities around the globe, allowing them to resell the shoes in their community.
The Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) has called on fashion brands and retailers like Nisolo to sign a commitment to publicly share objectives that contribute to and increase the circularity of their goods. In other words, we’ve made a commitment to reduce the environmental impact of footwear by collecting used shoes when you no longer want them.
Thanks to you, we have collected and diverted 7,052 pairs of used shoes from landfills since the launch of our product reclamation program, which averages to approximately 2,350 pairs per year. 100% of these shoes have been donated to Soles4Souls, a Nashville based organization that distributes donated items to various programs around the world to help individuals and communities in need.
Soles4Souls’ programs are distinct from typical distribution schemes that wind up polluting the global south, and 0% of donated products go straight to landfills or incinerators. S4S is “helping hard-working entrepreneurs build their own businesses selling donated new and used shoes and clothing to step out of poverty.” Moreover, through S4S, small business owners earn a sustainable living wage and are able to purchase necessities like food, shelter, and education for their families. S4S develops sustainable partnerships and programs in which shoes and clothing are a vehicle for equitable, educational, and economic opportunities. And in turn, they empower people to break the cycle of poverty. S4S works alongside partners to unlock economic opportunities for people to maximize their potential and provide access and representation for all people, especially more vulnerable communities such as women, youth, and people of color.” Learn more about the impact of their program here.
S4S is a Nashville based non-profit whose mission is to create sustainable jobs and provide relief through the distribution of shoes and clothing around the world. When you send us your used shoes, we send them to S4S who then distributes them to micro-enterprise programs in underserved communities in Haiti, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Moldova and other countries in Africa. The micro-enterprise participants clean and recondition the shoes to sell locally. These programs provide employment opportunities to people who would like to start their own shoe business but lack the capital to do so, and are an affordable source of shoes for the underserved local population. Shoes in very poor condition are sent to recyclers.
When you toss your old shoes, they get thrown into a landfill and can take decades to decompose. When you send us your used shoes you extend the product’s life, create additional income for micro-entrepreneurs in underserved communities, and help us ensure our products are disposed of responsibly.