Earthkeepers 2.0 boot is designed for disassembly and recycling for people who want to tread more lightly on the planet

In a conscious effort to reduce both material use and waste, The Timberland Company unveiled today its Earthkeepers 2.0 boot – the first footwear the company has designed to be disassembled and recycled, rather than discarded, at the end of its product life. After wearing them on life’s many adventures, consumers who buy the Earthkeepers 2.0 boots simply return them to any Timberland store for recycling.

Timberland has a long history of environmental stewardship both in its business operations as well as in the design and manufacture of its products. The Earthkeepers 2.0 boot was designed with eco-conscious features like Green Rubber soles in response to consumers’ growing demand for beautiful and eco-friendly footwear. Along with this attention to how the product is developed at the outset, the company is undertaking a cutting-edge “second life” program to pilot reusing components from the returned boot to make a new pair of shoes.

“We can be deliberate about designing the ‘greenest’ footwear out there -- but if at the end of the day those products still end up in a landfill, we haven’t really closed the loop on our environmental responsibility,” explains Brian Moore, VP Men’s Product. “With Earthkeepers 2.0, we have an opportunity to influence the environmental impact of our products in a way we haven’t before – after the point of purchase.”

Eighty percent of the Earthkeepers 2.0 boot can be recycled or re-used, including:

• Leather that is refurbished at the company’s factory in the Dominican Republic.
• Green Rubber™ soles that will go back to a Green Rubber™ factory in Georgia for recycling.