Watch the interview live on YouTube or follow along here with the complete transcript. Find out how BÄR uses recycling and upcycling to turn old into new!
INTERVIEW BETWEEN DR. CLAUDIA SCHULZ AND CHRISTOF BÄR:
Dr. Claudia Schulz: In that context, I of course also have to ask: What about recycling and upcycling? These are also two very important aspects in the world of footwear. Are there materials that you recycle, buy as recycled materials, or even upcycle?
Christof Bär: Yes, for some time now we have also been working in the knitted footwear and textile footwear sector with yarns made from recycled plastics and plastic recovered from the sea. This thread is called SEAQUAL, and alongside this, we support a project by the Bio Design Foundation, which collects waste from the oceans through its VOX MARIS project. They are now very actively involved. It is wonderful to see the progress they have made. We have been supporting them for some time, and they are passionate about what they do and are growing by demonstrating that their approach works. This naturally prompted us to say: Yes, we are happy to use these yarns, and we also support the movement that says, “I am freeing the oceans,” and does so on a voluntary basis. Our support consists of considering how we can develop something together that can be reintroduced into the cycle through a recycling process.
Dr. Claudia Schulz: That would have been my next question. A textile shoe may not last as long as a leather shoe. Does that mean I can recycle it as well, returning it to the circular economy and making a new shoe from it?
Christof Bär: Yes, that is possible. We have to admit that with shoes it is not the easiest task, because they are made from an enormous number of different materials. A bill of materials can consist of up to 50 different materials. A T-shirt is easier, and cars now have labeling that allows them to be disassembled again. With shoes, the process is somewhat more difficult, which is why we do not do this ourselves. However, once a year we run an “Old for New” campaign, in which we ask customers to return their old shoes to us, including to one of our stores, and in return they receive a voucher for something new. When the shoes are genuinely worn out, instead of simply putting them in general waste for incineration, customers can return them to us, and we collect them and pass them on to service providers. First, we naturally check whether they can still be used, possibly for donation to people in need, so that the shoes can be worn again. We work with organizations that distribute our shoes for use in Ukraine or to other institutions. Anything we determine can no longer be used in this process is handed over to the service provider, who then assesses what can still be used to feed it back into the process. In the end, only a small remainder is left, but it is unavoidable and genuinely can no longer be used. However, we are also committed to reducing this waste as much as possible and maximizing the reuse of the product.
Dr. Claudia Schulz: And has it always been this way at BÄR, or have you become even more involved in these issues recently?
Christof Bär: This has essentially evolved over time. In the past, we viewed it from entirely different perspectives, simply because of our roots as a family business: you do not throw anything away. You consider what else you can make from it. That idea became firmly established over time. Today, many things have to be viewed critically. I am thinking of whitewashing or greenwashing—this is something where I would say that a lot of advertising is being done and money is being spent. As a Swabian company, perhaps we are sometimes simply too reserved, because we say that this is actually normal or self-evident for us. And naturally, this is becoming stronger as people now say, “I think it is great that a certain amount of pressure is being applied to industry,” allowing us to say, “Then let us see whether we can overcome the next hurdle as well, and what ideas we have for doing so.”
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