Plus Compound Technologies announced the second season of collaboration with Patagonia, Inc. to create a collection of sandals made of its 100 percent recyclable Plusfoam for 2012 and 2013.
“When it comes to sustainable business and environmental activism, Patagonia is an industry leader,” said Brett Ritter, CEO and Co-Founder of Plus Compound Technologies. “Their endorsement and application of Plusfoam speaks to their commitment to the staying at the forefront of this movement. We couldn’t be more excited about the partnership.”
After a successful first season together, Patagonia recently showed their Plusfoam based sandal line at the Outdoor Retailer trade show in Salt Lake City and will likely expand into other categories for 2014. By using Plusfoam in their Spring/Summer 2012 collection, Patagonia prevented approximately 7,000 pounds of scrap from entering landfills and incinerators.
“We continue to keep our Common Threads Initiative top-of-mind when we design, develop and make our footwear. This includes choosing the right materials, suppliers and factories, designing for resole and recyclability, and introducing a formal care and repair program,” said Sue Harvey Brown, marketing manager for Patagonia Footwear.
In addition to producing virtually zero waste at the manufacturing level, Plus Compound Technologies operates reclaim facilities in the US and Asia where any products made with Plusfoam can be returned and recycled. In order to do this, consumers simply call the Plusfoam 800-number or log onto www.Plusfoam.com/recycle and mail the product directly to Plus Compound Technologies . “We’ve setup reclaim facilities in California and southern China; Japan and Western Europe will be on-line in time for the SS13 launch”, says Michael Carr, Associate General Manager at Plus Compound Technologies . “In addition, we will look to establish more localized reclaim facilities, like on the East Coast of the United States for example, in order to help reduce our carbon footprint even further”. All post-consumer reclaimed Plusfoam based goods will be recycled and reconstituted locally.
The second season of Patagonia Footwear products powered by Plusfoam will be available for purchase at retail locations globally in March 2013.