Environmental Leader

The Timberland Company has launched its latest green product innovation, the Earthkeepers 2.0 boot, which is touted as the first footwear the company has designed to be disassembled and recycled, rather than discarded, at the end of its life.

The 2.0 collection is made of 80-percent recyclable or reusable materials that represent a 15 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 15 percent increase in the use of recycled or renewable content, compared to the traditional Earthkeepers boot.

The Earthkeepers 2.0 boot was designed with eco-conscious features like “Green Rubber“ soles, a new patented green technology from Green Rubber Inc., which devulcanizes waste tire rubber to create a high-quality recycled rubber compound that can  be reused as a new raw material for items such as outsoles. In March, Timber announced its new exclusive partnership with Malaysia’s Green Rubber to use the technology in its Earthkeepers shoe line.

Timberland said it will be the first footwear company to commercialize this process and plans to incorporate it into its fall 2009 collections. At end of life, the boots can be returned to any Timberland store for recycling.

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 be recycled at the factory, removable metal hardware that can be reused in new footwear or recycled, and polyester lining that can be recycled into new polyester products. Timberland’s tanneries have achieved LWG silver-rated status for industry-leading water, waste and energy management.