Running Insight+ recently sat down virtually with the principals of Sneakers4Good, one of the industry leaders for sneaker reuse and recycling in the United States, to get their insight into how run specialty retailers can benefit from partnering with them in their shoe recycling efforts – and do some good for the environment at the same time.

• History: The idea for repurposing running shoes came from our parent company, the leading shoe drive fundraising company in North America, Funds2Orgs. What started as a small division within the social enterprise grew fast as demand from the running community exploded. Over the years, Sneakers4Good has grown to become the industry leader for sneaker reuse and recycling in the United States.
• Key people: Founder and CEO Wayne Elsey has spent the last two decades leading the conversation in social good in both the for-profit and philanthropic sectors. From a humble beginning working in a stock room at a shoe store, to running one of the largest shoe manufacturers, to starting a global charity focusing on shoes, he now spends his time as a serial entrepreneur running several social enterprises including Sneakers4Good.
• Sneakers4Good’s Mission:  To create opportunities locally that impact people globally.

• Focus in 2023: Its goal for 2023 is to expand its free programs into additional marathon markets while continuing to provide a hand up not a hand out to those in need.
• How does the process work for retailers to get paid for recycling sneakers? We built this program with retailers and their community impact in mind. Retailers collect customer-used running shoes, returns, defects, sales samples and overstock. They utilize the collection to incentivize a “trade in and trade up.” We provide collection boxes, custom marketing materials and prepaid shipping bags.
• What happens next? Once the sneakers are shipped back to us, we weigh the bags and cut a check to the partner or a charity of their choice. While some retailers utilize the funds each month to give back to a charity of the month, many use the funds to support their team, local running club or youth foundations.
• What happens to the sneakers? Collected sneakers and running shoes are given a second life with our micro-enterprise partners in 24 different developing countries. They are used to help create income and commerce in communities like Port-au-Prince, Haiti, that have grief-stricken economies. Here there are no malls where you can shop for shoes; instead, used shoes are sold in local markets and even on the front steps of their homes.

• Why use Sneakers4Good as their recycling partner? There are plenty of good reasons to partner with Sneakers4Good, but what sets us apart from the rest is that we do not sort or sell the used running shoes online or on places such as eBay. Instead, the used running shoes help others pave a path out of poverty. Especially in places that have been devastated by natural disasters.
• How much money can they make? Retailers earn $2 a pair for all gently worn, used or new sneakers and running shoes. These can also be customer returns, factory defects, sales samples, hash lots or overstock. Our retailer partners also receive incentives through our Level Up Program and can earn additional gifts from $25-$1000. Most partners use these funds to support local youth programs, running clubs and charitable partners. It’s a great way to engage the community while encouraging customers to “Trade In and Trade Up!”
• How many run specialty retailers are involved? Our program supports over 1000 partners across the U.S. Our goal is to continue to educate retailers and local running clubs that their used sneakers still have life in them for many across the globe. And that our program is a turnkey solution to helping their customers use their #Sneakers4Good. Right now, over 70 percent of the global population relies on used clothing and shoes from countries like ours. Americans throw away on average 300 million pairs of shoes a year. Our program supports over 4000 micro-entrepreneur families in 24 different developing countries. So you can feel good knowing the sneakers you collect serve as a philanthropic bridge to give people a hand-up, rather than just a hand-out.

• How do these retailers get involved and how do they spread the message to their customers? Retailers can sign up for our free program at Sneakers4Good.com and we’ll deliver all collection materials immediately after and we cut partner checks every single week. As far as spreading the message, our team helps provide both marketing templates as well as custom flyers and social media posts to help retailers get the word out to their community. 
• What is the commitment in time and resources needed for retailers?  The great thing about our program is that we’ll do all the heavy lifting. We provide prepaid shipping bags and collection boxes to every partner. We also provide custom marketing tools so that retail managers and owners don’t need to worry about getting the word out. The most work done is just bagging up the shoes, and giving it to their designated shipping carrier, FedEx or UPS.

• What about your partnership with the Marine Corps Marathon? We are very excited to be partnered with the Marine Corps Marathon to collect used running shoes at the expo and race weekend. We have also continued our partnership with the St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend to collect used running shoes from their participants and Heroes to support the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. We’ve also been a longtime supporter and partner of RRCA, the Road Runners Club of America.
• Finally, what’s next for Sneakers4Good into 2024 and how are you going to achieve that? This year we expanded the Sneakers4Good team so that we could offer 24/7 live customer service to our partners all around the country. We pride ourselves on always answering the phone and doing whatever it takes to support our partners. We live our mission statement: Creating opportunities locally, to impact people globally.