We launched The Resole Project as part of an initiative to cultivate circularity within the sport of climbing. One of the biggest hurdles climbers face is trying to resole their shoes. Emme talked to many of you at events across the local climbing gyms that told her you wanted an easier way to resole your shoes. So she decided to reach out to Verdigo Boulders first since they're in Burbank as well...and because we love them.   Shout out to Jenna 🫶🏼 for jumping on board with the Resole Project, because she cares about the climbing community, their opinions, and doing better for our planet.

Resoling should be easy for gyms and shoe brands to build incentives into their membership and brand loyalty programs but we have yet to see this type unified effort to reduce waste in the industry.

Why? From the conversations we've had with gyms and shoe brands thus far a big reason is cost. More specifically the cost to resole vs buying new, the same reason most climbers are reluctant to resole. 

As we continue to accumulate a high volume of donated shoes, we started reaching out to industrial recyclers. We spoke with a rep from Terra Cycle that said they do not pay for rubber from companies trying to recycle their rubber waste because of the cost. Rubber just doesn't retain the value compared to other recyclable materials. And so the search continues for a large scale rubber recycling facility. But we're optimistic that someone has developed a way of upcycling or downcycling shoe rubber into something new.

We believe in the right to transparency so people can make informed decisions on the gear they buy, the brands they support, and how we can do better for our planet. If you enjoy this type of BTS blogging, comment below and tell us what other topics you would like for us to cover.