LIFE RESKIBOOT

NEW LIFE RESKIBOOT project fiche

Sustainable ski boots with high performance and reduced waste

The ski industry faces a significant environmental challenge from the disposal of ski boots made from complex multi-plastic materials (different types of plastics combined in one product). Every year, 3.5 million pairs of ski boots are produced globally, consuming 9.4 million kilograms of virgin raw materials (new materials extracted directly from natural resources). Most of these boots are discarded after three to five years of use and sent to landfills, contributing significantly to plastic waste and greenhouse gas emissions.

The solution

The LIFE RESKIBOOT project addressed this problem by developing a circular economy model (a system where materials are reused rather than discarded) tailored for ski boots. The project reduced plastic waste by establishing an effective system for the collection, sorting, and recycling of ski boots in alpine regions, promoting resource recovery and sustainable manufacturing practices.

Objectives

The LIFE RESKIBOOT project aimed to prove that ski boots is up to the conventional models in comfort, safety, and performance while being made mostly from recycled materials. The main goal was to produce high-quality, cost-competitive ski boots that created zero plastic waste during manufacturing and reduced the number of boots ending up in landfills. The project’s specific objectives were to:
➢Launch ski boots made with 90% recycled materials, both for the outer shell and the inner liner, obtained from used ski boots, transformed into secondary raw materials.
➢Apply a sorting method using an electromagnetic effect (technology that uses magnetic fields to separate materials). The method achieved 95% separation efficiency for polyurethane (a durable plastic used for outer shells) and foamed materials (soft cushioning used in liners).
➢Manufacture and test 1,000 pairs of recycled ski boots in real skiing conditions to prove they could be sold and deliver the expected comfort, technical features, and safety.
➢Optimise the manufacturing process (make production more efficient) to use about 90% recycled raw materials and eliminate processing offcuts (waste pieces left over from production), which in conventional ski boot manufacturing can be up to 40% of the foam material used for liners.

The LIFE RESKIBOOT project aligned with EU environmental and circular economy policy areas, including the Closing the Loop: An EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy (COM(2015)614), the Energy Infrastructure Priorities for 2020 and Beyond: A Blueprint for an Integrated European Energy Network (COM(2010)677) and the Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC).

Results

At project completion, LIFE RESKIBOOT had successfully implemented a circular economy model for ski boots, covering their full life cycle, from collection to recycling and remanufacturing. The key achievements included:
➢1,000 pairs of recycled ski boots were produced and tested by skiers, proving they matched conventional boots in comfort, technical performance and safety.
➢Demonstrated savings in fossil resources, such as oil and gas feedstock, by replacing virgin raw materials with recycled ones, and reducing the number of boots sent to landfills.
➢An estimated 27,000 pairs of recycled ski boots will be commercialised within three years after the project’s end, delivering significant environmental benefits.
➢61,500 kg of waste diverted from landfills by sorting and recycling ski boot components.
➢200 tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions avoided, compared to what has been generated by producing the same amount of virgin materials.
➢Savings of 7,500 gigajoules of oil and natural gas (enough energy to supply hundreds of households for a year).

Quote from the Coordinating Beneficiary

Stefano Prosdocimo, Project Manager

“The LIFE Programme and C2M support were both crucial to our success because, when we started, nothing was certain. Having these two pillars supporting the project has been incredibly helpful. It’s very important that more companies and institutions begin to use this approach, so they can benefit from it and, in turn, create benefits for everyone”.