LIFE+

CO2 Shoe

CO2 Shoe LIFE+
View Summary

Details

Duration: 

01 October 2013 – 30 September 2017

Total budget:

750.468€ (50% funded by the European Commission)

Contacts

Inescop

  • Website: http://www.inescop.es
  • Adress: Polígono Industrial Campo Alto, Elda, Alicante, Spain

CO2Shoe – A Carbon Footprint Calculation Tool for the footwear sector

The CO2Shoe project aimed at developing a specific carbon footprint calculation tool for the footwear sector, which allows companies to measure the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG ) produced when manufacturing a pair of shoes. With this tool, companies will be able to identify the aspects of the manufacturing process that need to be addressed in order to optimise their resources, decrease their energy consumption, and consequently, reduce the GHG emissions released into the atmosphere. In the pilot, the carbon footprint of 36 models of footwear were calculated, and a report was produced on each model with the results and recommendations on how to reduce their carbon footprint. The second phase consisted of measuring the C02 reduction for each model.

Achieved results

The new carbon footprint calculation tool was implemented in a first pilot action on 36 footwear styles produced by SMEs of the European Union, obtaining an average value of 10.6 kg CO2e per pair of shoes, although the results of each style may vary according to its composition, material origin and weight, among other factors (Table 1. First pilot action results).

Then the participating companies received guidance on the various possibilities for improvement with a view to reducing the carbon footprint of their footwear styles.

Once the suggested improvements had been implemented, a second pilot action was conducted on the footwear styles. The results obtained at this stage showed an average value of 9.6 kg CO2e per footwear style (Table 2. Second pilot action results).

On an overall basis, the carbon footprint decreased by almost 6% in the footwear styles under study. Next figure shows the average carbon footprint values obtained in each pilot action and the percentage of improvement achieved in the second pilot action.