Kuala Lumpur, 20th July 2022 – Malaysia’s impact-driven sustainability organisation, EcoKnights announces the launch of Old Soles New Life, a shoe recycling campaign – partnering Dow, a leading global materials science company, and Life Line Clothing Malaysia, a prominent textile recycling company – to create the first shoe waste recycling ecosystem in Malaysia.

This two-month campaign is the first phase of a project to achieve a permanent circular model of recycling shoe waste in Malaysia. The public will be invited to recycle their used and unwanted shoes responsibly by dropping them into any of the shoe waste bins with distinct red lids and white bodies around Klang Valley, Kuala Lumpur and Johor. 

“This campaign will bring the concepts of recycling and sustainability accessible to everyone. It emphasizes that anyone can do their part by simply dropping their used shoes in the allocated shoe bins to be recycled into sports infrastructures which can be used again,” said Paul Fong, Country Director for Dow Malaysia and Singapore. “In addition, environmentally-friendly technologies will be used in the builds which will be safer for people and the environment.”

The soles (rubberized parts) of public-collection shoes will be ground into rubber granules. These rubber granules will be used in infrastructure construction particularly sports surfaces, helping to reduce the current standard use of hazardous recycled tyres. The recycled shoe materials will be bound using Dow’s water-based and solvent-free binder technology in a playground built at Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Tadom (A), Banting, Selangor, an indigenous school that was severely damaged by a flood in December 2021. When compared to traditional sports and playground surfaces, the result is both safer and more environmentally friendly.

Dr Yasmin Rasyid, Founder and President of EcoKnights, stated, “This partnership is a good example of public-private collaborations to drive sustainability through active public participation. We hope that this effort, among others, will open the path for demonstrating how waste can be reused for other purposes and, ultimately, how the circular economy works.” 

She added, “Our goal is seeing a significant behavioural shift among Malaysians in terms of how we consume materials, how we treat and discard waste, and, ultimately, how we reuse materials for a better or different purpose. This is one way EcoKnights is driving the urgency of adopting a sustainable lifestyle to transition into a carbon-neutral nation.” 

Mr Dale Warren, CEO of Life Line Clothing Malaysia, said in a statement on Wednesday “Our goal is to divert as many shoes away from landfills as possible and that can be achievable by working with members of the community and corporations who are aligned towards the same goal.”

He continued, “This initiative could help play a major role in implementing shoe recycling in Malaysia and we are excited about the outcome of this collaboration. We strive to develop and incorporate innovative technologies into our daily practice, and this tried-and-true concept is one we are eager to put into action.”

The Malaysia Investment Development Authority estimates that the amount of solid waste generated in 2021 will be 38,427 tonnes per day, with 82.5 per cent disposed of in landfills. Because shoes have a shorter life expectancy, landfills are seeing an increase in shoe waste. This could be the answer to addressing the limited space for landfills and reducing the environmental impact for a better Malaysia. 

Notes to Editor:

• EcoKnights with their partners provided the first 30 shoe recycling points around Klang Valley, Kuala Lumpur and Johor at the launch of the campaign. 
• The shoes collected will be turned into a children’s playground at Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Tadom (A), Banting, Selangor, an indigenous school catering to 100 indigenous students.
• More information about the Old Soles New Life shoe recycling campaign  is available at https://ecoknights.org.my/oldsolesnewlife/ 

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ABOUT ECOKNIGHTS®

EcoKnights® is an impact-driven sustainability organisation that provides and delivers development and environmental interventions to communities, government agencies, learning institutions, and companies to mobilise and catalyse the stakeholders towards sustainable development across trans- and interdisciplinary fields to build bridges towards achieving sustainable communities and companies across four main pillars. Each pillar helps to strengthen the legacy of EcoKnights as it empowers the Knights to ideate, create, run and organise meaningful projects to impart long-lasting sustainable and economic impact to the country.

ABOUT  DOW

Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines global breadth; asset integration and scale; focused innovation and materials science expertise; leading business positions; and environmental, social and governance (ESG) leadership to achieve profitable growth and deliver a sustainable future. The Company’s ambition is to become the most innovative, customer-centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company in the world. Dow’s portfolio of plastics, industrial intermediates, coatings and silicones businesses delivers a broad range of differentiated, science-based products and solutions for its customers in high-growth market segments, such as packaging, infrastructure, mobility and consumer applications. Dow operates 104 manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employs approximately 35,700 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $55 billion in 2021. References to Dow or the Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. For more information, please visit www.dow.com or follow @DowNewsroom on Twitter.

ABOUT LIFE LINE CLOTHING MALAYSIA (LLCM)

Life Line Clothing Malaysia (LLCM) was formed in 2013 with one goal in mind.. to reduce Malaysia’s fabric waste pollution and divert textiles away from landfills. LLCM collect used textiles and household good across Malaysia by working closely with the communities, corporations and local governments. LLCM also offer hundreds of textile drop-off locations and frequently holds collection drives throughout the country by working hand-in-hand with several institutions including schools, places of worship and universities but also developing strong relations with small and large companies. To help local charities finance their admirable causes, LLCM also collaborates with them to generate significant revenue by providing the infrastructure and logistics for the collections.

Old Soles, New Life

Old Soles New Life is a shoe recycling program initiated by EcoKnights, Dow and LLCM to introduce Malaysia’s inaugural shoe waste ecosystem. 

More details about this campaign are retrievable at this link: https://ecoknights.org.my/oldsolesnewlife/ 

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*For media inquiries, you may contact: 

EcoKnights:
Shahirah Anuar
Mobile: +60 115634 2344

Email: shahirah@ecoknights.org.my

Dow:
Kow Sin Yee
Mobile: +65 9815 9557

Email: kow@dow.com 

Life Line Clothing Malaysia: 

Andrew Jackson
Mobile: +60 18666 2004
Email: andrew@upcycle4better.com