In 2026, researchers working with Northumbria University through the Arrow innovation programme analysed ten pairs of football boots supplied by Re:Play. Their conclusion was striking: because boots contain a complex combination of materials, there are currently no viable technologies capable of recycling them at scale [3][4]. Leather or synthetic uppers, rubber soles, plastics, adhesives, dyes and other components are assembled into a single product. Separating those materials at the end of its life can be difficult and expensive, this creates an important, and often not clear, distinction between recycling and reuse.

Recycling sounds like the obvious environmental solution because it allows materials to enter a new production cycle, but recycling is not automatically the best option. If a product can still perform its original function, keeping it in use may avoid the environmental impacts associated with producing an entirely new one in the first place. The research supporting Re:Play found precisely that extending the life of football boots through resale was the most effective near-term strategy for reducing their environmental impact [3][4].

That conclusion is consistent with the wider footwear industry, life-cycle studies have repeatedly shown that much of a shoe’s environmental impact is generated before it reaches the consumer, particularly during the manufacture of its components [5]. For footwear, therefore, simply throwing a product away after a relatively short period can mean discarding not only the physical object, but also all the energy and resources invested in producing it. Nevertheless, there is another problem too: consumer behaviour.

A 2025 study published in Oeconomica Jadertina (a scientific journal published by the Department of Economics at the University of Zadar) examined how football players think about the sustainability of their boots. Researchers surveyed players from two amateur football clubs in southern Germany and found that most participants did not prioritise environmental considerations when buying or disposing of football boots. Comfort, appearance and fit were generally more important, while the majority still disposed of unwanted boots in the general waste stream. There was, however, one encouraging finding: many players already extend the lifespan of their boots through care and prolonged use [6]. That may sound insignificant, but it points towards a potentially important shift in football culture. Circular economy does not necessarily need futuristic materials, sophisticated recycling plants or a completely redesigned football boot. Sometimes, it begins with something much more mundane: not throwing away something that still works.

Re:Play is now trying to scale that idea, its network works with grassroots clubs, schools, charities and organisations in the waste sector, while a pilot with Durham County Council has introduced football-boot collection points at household waste recycling centres [3].

Luckily the concept is not unique, other initiatives are exploring similar models across Britain. Utilita’s Football Rebooted campaign, for example, was launched with the ambition of keeping at least one million pairs of boots away from landfill, collecting unwanted footwear and making it available to people who need it. Universities and football organisations have also begun introducing collection schemes, while projects such as Boots Swap UK allow players to exchange unwanted boots for pre-loved pairs.

Football’s governing bodies are beginning to embrace the broader idea as well. UEFA’s circular economy guidelines promote a shift away from the traditional “take, make, consume and throw away” model towards a system based on four principles: reduce, reuse, recycle and repair [7].

Figure 1: Reduce, reuse, recycle and repair cycle explained. Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.

For years, sustainability has often been presented as a question of what happens to products after we are finished with them. Can the plastic be recycled? Can the material be recovered? Can the waste be transformed into something else? But the story of Re:Play suggests that perhaps the first question should come earlier: Do we really need to get rid of it yet? A pair of football boots that lasts twice as long does not require a second manufacturing process simply to replace the first pair. A boot passed from one child to another can reduce waste while also making football more affordable, and a pair collected by a grassroots club can potentially generate revenue for the very community that keeps the game alive. That is what makes the County Durham experiment more than a story about old football boots.

It is a reminder that sustainability in sport does not always require changing the way the game is played. Sometimes, it means changing what happens to everything around it. The boots may eventually wear out, every product has an end point, but perhaps before that happens, they should be allowed a few more matches.

Cover and preview image: Pile of old sport boots. Phot by Sadiq Ali on Pexels.