Increasing footwear durability to reduce environmental impact through the addition of graphene in shoe soles
摘要
The shoe industry is no exception in the global market situation, where the increasing consumption and its subsequent impact on the environment is an issue. Footwear products’ environmental impact is highly affected by product durability, since it avoids the demand for additional units to cover the same need for the user. The present study aims to quantify the environmental impact of extended durability men’s footwear through the addition of graphene to the model’s sole. The life cycle assessment (LCA) was applied to the closed-toed shoes analyzed in the case study, which are manufactured and distributed from Spain. The methodology applied to build the LCA model was based on the guidelines presented in the last version of the Draft Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR) for apparel and footwear. This document is primarily interesting due to the importance provided to the product’s duration of service (i.e., durability). A cradle-to-grave approach was taken, counting on primary data from the manufacturer. Undertaking a functional unit of one pair of shoes used during 100 days, the environmental footprint of the product was calculated with the Simapro software. Initial results indicate that increasing the durability of footwear products by adding graphene to the sole can lead to significant reductions in environmental impact (from 29.5 kg CO2-eq to 20.7 kg CO2-eq). This extension of the product’s life cycle reduces the frequency of production and disposal, and the addition of graphene results in lower overall resource consumption and waste generation.