Nike sneakers recycle in three pieces

Recycling sneakers has been a problem because of the methods and materials used to make them. Nike will soon launch its new ISPA Link, a sneaker made without glue that, at the end of its usefulness, can be separated into three pieces for recycling. 

The ISPA (Improvise, Scavenge, Protect, Adapt) Link may not be the first recyclable sneaker, but it does incorporate a new strategy with pieces that fit together without adhesives or stitching to create the whole. 

The large pods on the single-piece Link midsole fit snugly inside the matching holes on the soft upper to create the shoe body. The pods serve as the shoe’s outsole. The third piece is the shoelace that ties the upper closed. Nike says the shoe is flexible, comfortable and durable. The company hopes to scale the program to make sneaker recycling a more universal concept.

Source: Nike and newatlas.com