Timberland to make green shoes out of discarded tires
A notable story from The Timberland Company who has made great strides in leading the way for environmental stewardship in manufacturing. Companies that want to lessen the impact that they have on reducing their waste should take a lesson from Timberland.
STRATHAM, New Hampshire, December 1, 2008 – To combat the negative and surging environmental impact of waste tire build-up, The Timberland Company has partnered with Green Rubber Inc. to launch two new footwear collections featuring outsoles made using recycled rubber from discarded tires. Through its use of Green Rubber compound, Timberland will help reduce the 7 billion tires found in landfills worldwide, using waste tires transformed into a valuable raw material at a time when there is pressure on fragile tropical ecosystems from the spread of new rubber plantations.
“We are facing an unpublicized epidemic with 1.3 billion tires being disposed in landfills every year leading to water pollution and breeding grounds for disease-carrying insects,” said Datuk Vinod Sekhar, Green Rubber CEO and Founder. “With Green Rubber’s patented and environmentally friendly technology we can start to make a real dent in the mountains of tires creating an environmental blight on the planet.”
Recognizing that rubber is a valuable resource that should be reused, Timberland is currently finalizing production of select footwear collections that will feature outsoles produced using Green RubberTM compound. These outsoles will contain a 50/50 blend (50% Green Rubber compound and 50% virgin rubber compound). The blend of recycled and virgin compound rubber is important in order to maintain durability and performance characteristics in Timberland’s footwear. Timberland is the first footwear manufacturer to commercialize Green RubberTM technology and is incorporating it into two of the company’s Fall ’09 collections.
“We are thrilled to partner with Green Rubber to support this innovative company’s efforts towards making rubber a more sustainable resource with a lighter environmental footprint. Green Rubber is positioned to have a major impact on the global rubber industry; managing tire waste can now become both a commercially viable and environmentally friendly process,” said Jeff Swartz, CEO, The Timberland Company. “This partnership brings together two like-minded organizations with a common goal of connecting successful commerce to environmental responsibility. This is a great opportunity for Timberland to share its commitment to “Earthkeeping” – offering products with a lighter footprint while inspiring a movement of one million Earthkeepers interested in environmental behavior change.”
A recent study by Malcolm Pirnie Inc., one of the country’s leading environmental engineering firms, shows that using 10 pounds of recycled rubber instead of virgin rubber prevents approximately 10 pounds of CO2 being released into the atmosphere. In addition, the consumption of oil (which is used in the manufacture of synthetic rubbers) falls by one gallon. Green RubberTM technology creates a new source of rubber compound made from waste tires through a non-toxic, environmentally conscious de-vulcanization process.
By 2012, Green Rubber intends to recycle the equivalent of more than 200 million discarded tires every year. The company is about to launch an aggressive expansion program as it looks to open new manufacturing plants for its revolutionary rubber compound in the Americas, the Middle-East, Asia and Europe.
About Timberland:
Timberland (NYSE: TBL) is a global leader in the design, engineering and marketing of premium-quality footwear, apparel and accessories for consumers who value the outdoors and their time in it. Timberland markets products under the Timberland®, Timberland PRO®, SmartWool®, Timberland Boot CompanyTM, Howies® and IPATH® brands, all of which offer quality workmanship and detailing and are built to withstand the elements of nature. The company’s products can be found in leading department and specialty stores as well as Timberland® retail stores throughout North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, South Africa and the Middle East. Timberland’s dedication to making quality products is matched by the company’s commitment to “doing well and doing good” — forging powerful partnerships among employees, consumers and service partners to transform the communities in which they live and work. To learn more about Timberland, please visit www.timberland.com.
About Green Rubber:
Green Rubber Inc. is a subsidiary of the Kuala-Lumpur based conglomerate The Petra Group. The company’s DeLink technology provides a way of recycling waste rubber into a cost effective, high quality rubber compound that can be used in a huge range of new applications including tires, shoe and boot soles, hoses, mats, sporting goods and automotive and industrial products. Later this month Vinod Sekhar and Green Rubber will receive the prestigious Global Green product design award for the company’s revolutionary recycled rubber compound. To learn more about Green Rubber please visit www.green-rubber.com.
Leave a Comment