Jog On Again
Giving shoes a new 'lace' of life
Fast-fashion, single-use and environmental footprint are terms that have become all too familiar in today’s vocabulary. Whilst the leisure industry is one that doesn’t often come under fire for its lack of environmental consciousness, one man is leading the way in which we think about disposing of our used trainers after they’ve cushioned our countless workouts or taken us through the finish line of a race.
When Tony Piedade set out to create JoggingBuddy.com – a community-hub for likeminded runners to buddy up in his local North London borough – he never intended that the company would become multi-national, with members across a whopping 128 countries 13 years later…
During his journey to encourage people to be more active, Tony was exposed to a statistic that motivated him to make a change:
'Some soles last 1,000 years in landfill’ – The Guardian
Just one week after reading the headline, Tony launched JogOn Again in March of this year with the aim to remove running shoes from landfill and give them a second chance.
As a Social Enterprise, giving back to the communities and environments we are based is at the heart of what we do – so it just made sense to be the first organisation to join forces with JogOn and do what we can to contribute to the companies’ objective.
From Wednesday 17th August, each one of our centres and gyms across the nation will have set up their collection bins where Places Leisure members and members of the local community can dispose of their used or unwanted running shoes. Simply, pair up your running shoes, tie them together at the laces and pop them in one of the collection bins at any one of our leisure centres.
What happens with the shoes after I’ve donated them?
Having already transported over 3000 pairs of running shoes to new feet already, Tony has formed partnerships with universities, independent retailers, libraries, and leisure centres.
The distribution channels follow 4 main routes:
- Local Charities – JogOn works with charities who represent end users who need help, with their current focus being on resettlement support charities within the UK.
- NGOs – JogOn supports NGOs (non-governmental organisations) that may be carrying out outreach programs which require running shoes.
- Microeconomies – feeding into the supply line for microeconomies, JogOn supplies shoes to families whose livelihood relies on selling shoes and other apparel at flea markets.
- Disposal – shoes deemed at the ‘end of their life’ are terminated within the UK. They are committed not to allow any shoes to go to landfill – if they are not viable to be reused, they are taken care of in the UK through the following methods…
- Currently there are early-stage trials with an industrial shedding company to test the shredding process.
- Once proven, the resulting shredded material will be used to re-surface playgrounds, generate power through incineration, or be used in the concrete creation process.
With a full spectrum of options to give each pair of donated running shoes a ‘full lifecycle’, JogOn is making pivotal changes in its application within the leisure industry and beyond. We hope that our members will join us in contributing to this cause and giving trainers a new purpose.
Customers can also send their trainers direct to JogOn HQ themselves. Details of this process can be found here: https://www.jogonagain.com/sendusyourshoes