A couple of weeks ago, we published on our blog “Why Shoes Can Make a Global Impact.” We’ve gotten a lot of feedback to it because many people don’t know about the facts regarding shoes and sneakers they may be disposing of in a way that’s not socially responsible.

As we noted in the article, here again, are a few of the facts from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):

• Textiles, including shoes, represent 65.7 percent of the content in landfills.
• Americans throw away an average of 4.48 pounds of waste, each day.
• The average person does not knowthat other people around the world can repurpose clothing and shoes.
• In fact, the vast majority of the global population, 70 percent, use shoes and apparel that have been owned by others.
• The primary reasonfor textiles ending up in landfills is consumers.

In our earlier article, we featured our video about micro-entrepreneurs, but in this post, we want to talk about the planet. Millions of people in the U.S. and around the world are highly concerned about climate change. We each play a part in trying to ensure that the lives of people, animals, and all living things won’t be destroyed in the coming years because we failed to do anything.

How Long Does It Take for Shoes to Decompose

Many people do not realize, but a single shoe can have as many as dozens of parts that are sewn, stitched and glued together. Some components of shoes may include rubber parts for the shoe soles. Unfortunately, when shoes end up in landfills, they cause a lot of harm to the environment and the health of people.

The decomposition process for shoes takes many, many years––decades. As shoes begin to decompose, they begin to release toxins into the air. These toxins are dangerous to human health, which is why people who live close to landfills may have a higher incidence of respiratory illnesses.

The decomposition process is also harmful to the environment because those toxins that go into the air and seep into the soil are poisons that affect our natural environment. What’s worse is that, depending on the components of any shoe, it can take as many as 80 to 100 years for a shoe to decompose completely. That’s more years than most human lives on this planet!

Why a Shoe Drive Fundraiser is Socially Responsible

If you refer back to the EPA facts textiles, including shoes, make up more than 65 percent of the content in landfills. Unfortunately, one of the primary reasons why shoes end up going into the trash is because people do not know where they can give the shoes, so they are re-purposed.

A shoe drive fundraiser provides a socially responsible way to raise money for a good cause and to dispose of gently worn, used and new shoes. Once the shoe drive fundraiser is finished, the footwear is consolidated with many others from other fundraising events, and then shipped to developing nations, such as Haiti, Colombia, and Pakistan.

When the shoes arrive in developing countries, they are purchased by micro-entrepreneurs for a low cost, which is vital to creating ways for people living in poverty to make a good living. Consumers then buy the shoes in communities overseas, and the life of a pair of shoes gets extended.

Adding a Shoe Drive Fundraiser to Another Event

Now you know why shoe drive fundraisers make a lot of sense from a social good and even environmental perspective. As you make your final preparations for the coming year, think about doing a shoe drive fundraiser as a stand-alone effort or as part of a broader fundraising drive. Shoe drive fundraising partners are issued a check by Funds2Orgs for the shoes collected.

Our formula is easy: More shoes = More money.

The New Year can be an opportunity for your organization to raise the visibility of your brand and provide your community with a socially responsible way to dispose of unwanted shoes and also help people around the world and even the climate.

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