Children’s shoe for easy recycling wins John Lewis grant
A children’s shoe design and a Leeds University project to separate dyes from polyester are among four winners of the John Lewis Circular Future Fund: The Million Pound Challenge.
The fund will supply grants between £150,000 and £300,000 and winning projects will be supported over one year, from May 2022.
Footwear company Pip and Henry will use its share of the money to create designs easily sorted into their separate materials for easier recycling, as well as for an expandable shoe that grows with the child.
The Leeds Institute of Textiles and Colour will use the money to fund a pilot project that uses CO2 technology to separate dyes from polyester fabric. The process reuses the dye, recycles the water, uses less energy and removes polluting auxiliary chemicals.
Image: Pip and Henry uses materials including organic cotton and recycled TPR.
