EMMA Safety Footwear sells circular safety shoes for various industrial activities, serving as a great leader in the fight against the immense textile waste produced by the clothing industry. The company is very environment friendly and circularity centered, producing their shoes from durable and recyclable material while also paying attention to energy and emissions efficiency. The company also provides a material passport to its products to ensure transparency of their circular production.

Globally, an estimated 92 million tonnes of textile waste is created each year. By 2030, we are expected as a whole to be discarding more than 134 million tonnes of textiles a year [1]. The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions, with textile production alone is estimated to release 1.2 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere every year. Vast amounts of water are also needed to produce the clothes we wear, and the fashion industry is responsible for 20% of global wastewater. Consequently, a solution to textile waste is needed. EMMA Safety Footwear serves as a pioneering example to address the waste problem of fashion by developing their circular shoes. 

EMMA Safety Footwear is in pursuit of avoiding the use of (primary) raw materials, avoiding energy use and CO2 emissions, the recovery of raw materials, and the use of recycled material in new products. They use materials with longer service life and ensure that the shoe can be dismantled, thanks to less material usage and other material constructions. All materials that they use in its circular collection are environmentally safe and recyclable. All EMMA shoes are PVC-free, and they are also provided with a material passport. In addition, the company strives to have good working conditions throughout its entire chain.

EMMA Safety Footwear designs its shoes for disassembly and recycling, uses reverse logistics through its initiative Circular Footwear Alliance and now focusing on recycling its used materials. They have created a positive social impact since they also offer an inclusive and diverse work environment. Furthermore, as they are committed to the Dutch Sustainable Clothing and Textile Covenant, they work on themes such as child labor, animal welfare, living wages, raw materials and water, chemicals, and energy.

[1] Source: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200710-why-clothes-are-so-hard-to-recycle