Moaconcept, an Italian urban footwear brand and Benefit Society, launched My Own Action, a new circular project that involves collecting used sneakers from its own and other brands', in order to destine them for recycling and reuse.
The project's first stop starts from two locations in Florence. The first one is The Social Hub, a hotel, a high-frequency co-working and a social meeting point in Viale Spartaco Lavagnini 70-72, inside the Break Out Area. The second location is Flow Run, in Piazza degli Strozzi 16, a long time partner of the brand, and a key sneaker store in a top shopping area of the city.
In both spots, Moaconcept has installed its Used Sneaker Collector, a specially created container intended for the collection of used sneakers.
The thrown-away sneakers will be partly destined for recycling–with the support of companies dedicated to recycling and processing specific components such as the rubber of the soles, but also for urban playground areas or similar uses, and partly destined for reuse thanks to the collaboration with associations as Re-Take from Rome, that sanitize the products and redistribute them to those most in need.
The project will continue at The Social Hub by hosting a special weekly event for at least the next three months, but it will also travel to other locations.
Also international projects are planned like, for instance, the positioning of another Used Sneaker Collector at NK, a fashion store in Stockholm, Sweden, starting from 27 March. Other itinerant call-to-action initiatives will travel through Italy and Europe in the following weeks.
Supporting the project will be an awareness-raising campaign in which communication is transformed into action, "My Own Action" (hence the brand's and the project's name), which is also accompanied by the claim "Let's Pair Up!" as, like a pair of shoes, human beings must "pair up" with the planet in order to guarantee a better future for everyone.
Moaconcept is a sneaker Benefit Company founded in 2013 with operational headquarters in Bagno a Ripoli (FI), led by CEO Matteo Tugliani.
The brand has already been involved in offering contemporary sneaker collections with medium/high positioning. Among it past initiatives, it had developed collaboration collections with The Walt Disney Company and with young and upcoming artists, including TV Boy.
Born with the intention of leaving its positive imprint on the footwear market (hence the brand's name that stands for My Ow Action-MOA), and refocusing itself on a new business model based on sustainability, the company wants to become an example and a stimulus to promote change in favor of people and the planet.
Over the years, it has confirmed its commitment and social responsibility through actions in support of the community and projects that aim to reduce the impact of its CO2 emissions, including attention and increasing control of the supply chain, committing to re-localize part of its production in Italy, which is now happening between Indonesia and Italy.
The company has enacted the process to also become a B Corp, expected to be finalised by about 2025, while it will issue its first Sustainability Balance Report by the end of 2024.
Moaconcept offers comfortable and urban fashion-inspired sneakers. It is now selling to 200 stores, between Italy and Europe, at €170-€220 retail prices.
"The My Own Action project represents our concrete commitment to spreading the word about the importance of reducing the environmental impact caused by the fashion industry. We want to actively involve our community in this circular economy project, and to do this we need to act responsibly and sustainably by collaborating synergistically. The partnership with The Social Hub is just the first step in a project that we hope we can expand to the rest of Italy and Europe," he added.
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