Spotlight: Thousand Fell – Recyclable Sneakers for a Circular Future

Meet Thousand Fell — a sneaker brand redefining what it means to walk lightly on the planet, and the Seeing Green Solutionist of the Day for October 17.

In this Spotlight episode, we turn to footwear — an industry known for its massive footprint yet bursting with opportunity for change. Thousand Fell, based in New York, was founded on a radical but simple idea: design sneakers that never need to end up in landfill.

Their shoes blend timeless design and modern performance with circular thinking. Each pair features bio-leather made from food waste, recycled plastic linings, and natural rubber soles — built to last, easy to clean, and ready to be recycled through the brand’s Trade In program. Powered by the SuperCircle platform, those worn-out sneakers get disassembled and reborn into something new.

From thoughtful materials to transparent storytelling, Thousand Fell shows how sustainability and style can move in step. It’s a reminder that what we wear on our feet can also point us toward a more circular future — one step at a time.

Transcript

Welcome to Seeing Green - Solutions for our Daily Lives. The podcast where we spotlight the brands, ideas and people making it easier to live sustainably every day.

Today’s episode is part of our “Spotlight” series – a deep dive into one of our Seeing Green Solutionists of the Day. And now… today’s solution.

Welcome everyone to today's deep dive. This is part of the Seeing Green Spotlight series. We're zooming in on a Solutionist, someone bringing real actionable solutions for, you know, a healthier, greener daily life.

Absolutely. And uh speaking of greener living, I hope you caught our Greening My Happy Hour deep dive yesterday.

Oh yeah, and that was a fun one.

It really was. We found some uh genuinely great recommendations for sustainable spirits, wine, beer. Perfect timing for the weekend, right?

Definitely check that out if you haven't already. And hey, if you enjoy these kinds of deep dives, please do subscribe to the podcast

And join the community over at seeing green.eco. It's a great resource.

Totally. Okay, so today we often talk about sustainable apparel. It's a topic people are always interested in.

Yeah, it's super popular. We've looked at great brands like Beni, Mate the Label, ThredUp on the show before,

Right. And there are what over 20 spotlights on similar leaders on the website, too. Lots of good stuff there.

But today, we're narrowing the focus a bit. We're looking at a category within apparel we haven't covered quite as much. Footwear

Shoes. Seems simple, but wow, the impact is huge.

It really is. It's often overlooked, but the scale and frankly the planetary impact are pretty staggering.

Let's talk numbers. Globally, we're spending nearly half a trillion dollars a year on footwear. Half a trillion.

And the production volume, one estimate puts it at over 24 billion pairs manufactured each year.

24 billion.

Yeah, if you spread that out evenly, that's roughly three new pairs of shoes for every single person on Earth every single year.

That's hard to even picture. Okay, so what are the big environmental impacts here?

Well, it breaks down into a few key areas. The materials used, obviously, the production process itself, distribution, and then critically end of life.

Let's start with that end of life piece because it sounds pretty grim.

It is. The estimates suggest we throw out almost as many shoes as are produced globally each here.

And where do they go?

The vast majority, maybe 90%, end up straight in landfills where they just sit indefinitely.

And they're not exactly benign sitting there, are they? What are most shoes made of?

Primarily petroleum-based plastics and rubbers or leather. Both have significant issues.

Okay. Like what?

Well, the synthetics come from fossil fuels, obviously. And leather, while sometimes seen as natural, has a really high carbon footprint. It's incredibly water intensive. And the tanning process often uses harsh chemicals. Think heavy metals, even carcinogens.

Yikes. And then there's the manufacturing impact.

Exactly. The whole fashion industry contributes something like 8 to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Footwear accounts for about 20% of that share.

So doing the math, shoes alone are responsible for roughly 2% of total global greenhouse gas emissions.

That's the estimate. It's a significant slice of the pie for just one product category.

Which is why we're here today, right? To spotlight those trying to change this.

Precisely. We want to highlight the innovators working on alternative materials, cleaner manufacturing, designing for durability, for recycling, for circularity.

And the focus of our spotlight today is a brand really tackling these challenges head on. Thousand Fell.

Yep. Thousand Fell. They're a New York-based sneaker brand, and their whole focus is championing the circular economy in footwear.

Their mission is pretty bold, isn't it?

It is. They set out to design the world's first fully recyclable sneaker. Not just more recyclable but truly designed for disassembly and reuse from the ground up.

That's a huge undertaking. How did they even land on shoes given the complexity?

Well, it helps to look at the co-founder, Chloe Songer. Her background is really interesting. She started out as a climate activist like really young.

Oh, really? How so?

Back in high school, she was involved in the M-A environmental committee working on recycling programs, even solar proposals. She actually presented a policy platform at the UNICEF Children Climate Change Forum back in 2009.

Wow. Okay. So, real policy focus early on.

Right. But then she combined that activism with uh a deep dive into how capital systems actually work. She studied economics then worked in fashion merchandising places like Alexander Wang, Gap.

Ah so she learned the industry from the inside. Supply chains, production all that.

Exactly. She got a real understanding of how global supply chains operate the economics the challenges and that combination -- the activism and the industry knowledge -- led her and her co-founder Stuart Ahlum to footwear.

Why shoes specifically?

Because they saw them as well disproportionately damaging compared to simpler textiles like a cotton t-shirt, you know, and also uniquely challenging to recycle.

What makes shoes so much harder to recycle than say clothing?

It's the complexity and the glues. A typical shoe isn't just one material. It can have like 20 different components, various foams, plastics, rubbers, styles, leather, sometimes treated with those heavy metals we mentioned.

Okay.

And all these different bits are usually fused together with really strong industrial adhesives.Trying to separate all that cleanly at end of life. It's basically impossible or at least economically not viable for most recyclers. The whole thing just gets shredded or landfilled.

So the components kind of contaminate each other for recycling purposes.

Precisely. The leather is essentially mummified with chemicals. The rubber has plasticizers. It's a mess.

So Thousand Fell’s goal was to build a shoe that avoids that fate.

Yes. To build something stylish, practical, something people actually want to wear frequently. Sneakers are often replaced yearly, right? But engineer it from the very start so it can be taken apart and recycled cleanly. Aligning sustainability with how people actually use products.

Let's talk about their actual shoes, then. What's in their product portfolio?

They keep it pretty focused. Their core styles are the court sneaker, a lace up, a high court, and a slip-on.

And the design aesthetic.

It's very much timeless, unisex, minimalist. The idea is they work in lots of different contexts. They don't chase fast fashion trends. That itself is a sustainability feature encouraging longer wear.

That makes sense. But the core philosophy is circular from the start, right? Built for recycling.

Exactly. Durability is key, versatility, ease of cleaning all things to extend the shoe’s life. But crucially, every single pair is explicitly designed to eventually be sent back to them and recycled through their own system.

How do they build in that durability? Any specific features?

Yeah, they use things like a natural stain resistant coating. It's actually quartz-based, which is cool to help keep them looking good. They also use anti-odor linings. Some are aloe vera coated mesh to keep them fresh longer.

Okay, so focusing on longevity first.

Right. Making a product that lasts is always the first step in sustainability, but then when it is time…

That's where the materials come in. They talk about future materials and achieving something like 70% lower emissions. compared to conventional sneakers. What are these materials?

This is where it gets really innovative. The uppers, for example, aren't traditional leather or plastic. They use a bioleather alternative.

Bioleather. What's that made from?

It's actually derived from a mix of things food waste, like corn waste plus coconut husk and some recycled plastic content.

Food waste and coconut husks in a shoe.

Yep. And then the outsoles are made from sustainably sourced natural rubber. The linings and internal structure use recycled materials and other plant-based fibers, things derived from sugarcane waste, for instance.

So, really rethinking the entire material pallet.

Completely. And every component is chosen not just for its lower impact sourcing, but specifically for its ability to be separated and recycled at the end. No problematic glues holding everything together permanently.

Where are these made, and how do they source things like food waste?

They manufacture in a family-owned factory down in Brazil. And a key part of that is sourcing ingredients locally whenever possible, including those food waste components. It helps keep the supply chain shorter, reduces transport emissions.

And they're open about all this?

Very transparency is a big part of their approach. They share full material and sourcing details publicly. They want people to understand how the shoe is made and why it matters.

Okay, so the shoe is designed for durability and eventual recycling with these novel materials. How does the actual recycling part work? The closed loop system?

Right. This is crucial for their no landfill commitment. operates through a program called trade-in by Thousand Fell which runs on a platform called SuperCircle.

SuperCircle. Tell me about that.

Okay, so the process for the customer is simple. When your Thousand Fell sneakers are worn out, you go online, get a prepaid shipping label and send them back.

Send them back to Thousand Fell.

Technically back through the SuperCircle system. SuperCircle handles the logistics and importantly the sorting or triage.

What happens then?

If the shoes are still in decent enough condition, they might get refurbished and donated through partners like Soles4Souls, giving them a second life.

Okay, reuse first. But if they're truly done,

Then the design pays off. Because they were built for disassembly, they can be broken down into their component parts, the bioleather fibers, the natural rubber, the plant-based materials…

And these separated materials?

They become recycled raw materials. They can be reintroduced into supply chains, maybe Thousand Fell's own or others. Sometimes things might get downcycled if they can't go back into high-grade use. But the point is avoid the landfill.

Is there an incentive for customers to actually send them back?

Yes, absolutely. When you send back your old pair, you earn credit towards a new pair of Thousand Fells. I think you can combine it with other loyalty points for up to like $65 off. It creates a real economic incentive to participate in the loop.

That makes it a working example of closed loop fashion.

But you mentioned SuperCircle is a platform.

It's not just for Thousand Fell.

Exactly. And this is really key. Chloe Songer and Stuart Ahlum realized that the infrastructure for circularity was a major bottleneck for the whole industry. So they co-founded SuperCircle as a separate company.

Ah so they productized the solution itself.

Precisely. SuperCircle provides the technology and logistics the identification sorting processing to help other brands manage their end of life streams too. They work with over 40 other brands now including big names like GUESS and J Crew.

Wow. So they're enabling circularity beyond their own products

Massively. And get this -- the Thousand Fell trade-in program powered by SuperCircle actually allows you to send back worn out shoes of any brand, not just Thousand Fell.

Any brand? Seriously?

Yep. Or even other unwanted clothing items. They'll take it all and ensure it gets processed correctly through SuperCircle reused, recycled, or properly disposed of if absolutely necessary, but keeping as much as possible out of landfill. They're tackling industry waste, not just their own footprint.

That's incredibly ambitious. Taking responsibility for other brands’ waste too.

It shows a real commitment to system level change which connects back to Chloe Songer's activist roots.

Right. You mentioned her early policy work. Did that continue after starting the business?

It absolutely did. They didn't just build a better product in the infrastructure. They also got involved in lobbying for policy change.

How so?

Specifically working with a group called American Circular Textiles to help pass legislation in California Senate Bill 707.

SB707. What does that do?

It's what's known as an extended producer responsibility or EPR law for textiles.

EPR -- that means the companies that make the products are responsible for them at the end of their life.

Exactly. It holds producers financially and operationally responsible for the entire life cycle, including setting up systems for collection, repair, reuse, and recycling. Thousand Fell was essentially lobbying to make the kind of system they built for themselves a legal requirement for their competitors, too.

So, they're pushing the whole industry forward, not just through their own example but through policy mandates.

That's the idea. It shows their commitment goes way beyond just selling sneakers.

Okay, let's pause and think about this. What Thousand Fell is doing, it's not just making a slightly greener shoe.

No, it's much more systemic.

They've redesigned the product for circularity, built the actual infrastructure needed to make it happen with SuperCircle, and are actively pushing for legislation to make this the norm. It's a multi-pronged approach.

Right? They're tackling the product, the system, and the policy landscape simultaneously. It's about shifting away from that linear take/make/dispose model entirely.

So maybe the provocative thought for listeners today is this. When you're looking at your next purchase, especially something like shoes that wear out…

Don't just ask what it's made of, although that's important.

Right. Ask the brand, what is your plan for this product when I'm done with it? Do you offer a tangible, guaranteed, end of life solution? And is that solution actually scalable or just greenwashing? 

That's the deeper question, isn't it? Is the brand truly committed to the full life cycle or just optimizing one part of it?

A really important consideration. Okay. If you want to learn more about the brand we discussed today,

You can visit them at thousandfell.com. That's thousandfell.com.

And if you're interested in learning more generally about creating a greener, more sustainable home and daily life.

Definitely check out the other deep dives here on the Seeing Green podcast. We have both the Spotlight Series like this one and the practical Greening My series. And please subscribe while you're there.

you can also join the Seeing Green community. Just sign up on a website, seeing green.co. That's www.seeinggreen.eco.

Yeah. On the site, you'll find tons more on trailblazers making strides in eco-friendly living, innovative products, solutions, practices. It's a great resource hub.

And for the latest tips and solutions day-to-day, follow us across social media. We're @SeeingGreenEco pretty much everywhere.

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Thank you so much for joining us for the Seeing Green Spotlight deep dive.

Until next time.

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