schuh

schuh’s ‘Purpose work’ is focussed on three pillars – Sustainability, Mental Wellness and Fostering Diverse Talent; which includes Racial Equality, Disability Equality and LGBT+ Equality.

Since 2019 alongside Sustainability projects with World Land Trust, schuh has partnered with a range of charities which support young people’s mental health and underrepresented or marginalised communities. The company is supported by 5 Employee Resource Groups who share ideas and volunteer their time to support the causes which they represent.

Each year schuh run an in-person event with The King’s Trust, the UK’s largest youth charity, and have connected 1,435 young people with the charity via this initiative. For the last 3 years volunteers from schuh have also carried out beach cleans with The Marine Conservation Society in Scotland and on England’s South Coast.

They believe strongly in preserving the environment for current and future generations. At schuh, this means; conserving energy, minimising waste, sourcing sustainable goods and services wherever possible, measuring and targeting a reduction in their carbon footprint and promoting a business culture that encourages re-use and recycling.

schuh recycle scheme

schuh is extremely proud of the longstanding partnership with World Land Trust and are thrilled to be able to support the Plant a Tree programme via the Sell Your Soles (in schuh adults stores) and Too Big For Your Boots (in schuh kids stores) takeback schemes. These initiatives enable customers to return any pre-loved footwear to schuh, irrespective of where it was purchased.

Customers receive £5/€5 off a future purchase and donated footwear is handed over to their expert recycling and re-use partner, Got Sneakers. Launched in 2016 in the US, Got Sneakers is a trading organisation that intends to provide a roadmap towards a more sustainable future for footwear as they collect, sort, clean and resell the footwear obtained from schuh stores.

Got Sneakers collect all footwear donations weekly and after processing, 98% is resold to consumers through various channels in the UK, US and EU, offering real circularity for this used footwear. Although after the sortation process approximately 2% of donated footwear is deemed unusable, none of this is incinerated or sent to landfill; it’s instead ground down into pellets which can be made into sports and playground surfaces and even new shoes! For every tonne collected, the funds raised are used to support the Plant a Tree programme.

Through donations and further fundraising, schuh has also supported land purchase and protection via WLT’s Buy an Acre programme and special appeals. schuh aims to greatly improve footwear circularity and sustainability, whilst helping to protect endangered habitats and reduce carbon emissions.

 

To find out more about schuh and their efforts to operate more sustainably, visit their Purpose Page.