schuh

At schuh, they love footwear more than almost anything, but they know some things are more important. The company is about shoes and sneaks, but also the people wearing them – teams, customers and the wider community. 

schuh’s Purpose Pillars embody 40 years of the brand’s diversity, self-expression, and inclusivity culture. The company has achieved significant milestones centred around raising social consciousness amongst employees, brand partners and customers. The Purpose Pillars have evolved into three main pillars – Sustainability, Mental Wellness and Fostering Diverse Talent, which includes Racial Equality, Disability Equality and LGBT+. 

A charity represents each pillar that schuh works with closely to ensure they understand each pillar’s key issues and opportunities. schuh want to utilise its reach to support positive messaging and deliver charitable donations to fuel further change. Working with key partner charities has allowed schuh to support the communities who shop with them. 

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 is extremely proud of the longstanding partnership with World Land Trust and are thrilled to be able to support our Plant a Tree scheme via their Sell Your Soles (in our adults stores) and Too Big For Your Boots (in our kids stores) takeback schemes. These initiatives enable customers to return any end of life footwear to schuh, irrespective of where it was purchased. Customers receive £5/€5 off a future purchase and critically the footwear is handed over to their expert recycling and re-use partner, Recyclatex. Launched in the 1990’s the Recyclatex Group, headquartered in Manchester, is a trading organisation formed by a select number of textile reuse and recycling companies who are experts in collection, logistics and identifying value in used clothing and shoes.

Recyclatex collect all donations weekly, 98% of the donated items are then sold on to developing countries where the goods provide a small business opportunity and a living for impoverished families. Approximately 2% of donated footwear is in a condition not suitable for re-sale and is therefore recycled in various ways in order to avoid any of it going to landfill.

For every tonne collected, the funds raised are used to support schuh’s sustainability partner of choice, World Land Trust and our Plant a Tree programme. schuh’s aim is to essentially create a circular economy, in an effort to make footwear more sustainable. 

 

 

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