Singapore tightens shoe recycling controls after Reuters report

A Singapore shoe recycling project will be subject to surprise inspections said Singapore’s minister of culture on Monday, March 20.

This is following an investigation by Reuters that found footwear donated to the project was not recycled.

U.S. company Dow Inc and the government agency Sport Singapore, previously published promotional material stating that the shoes would be grind down to make playgrounds and running tracks in Singapore.

The investigation, that was conducted by using trackers hidden inside the soles of shoes, found sneakers donated by Reuters in Singapore had instead been exported to Indonesia for resale.

This also violates a 2015 ban by Indonesia, which was installed for hygiene purposes and to protect the local textile industry.

Presented with Reuters findings, Dow and Sport Singapore opened an investigation and later terminated the contract of Yok Impex, a local textile exporter that was subcontracted to collect shoes from donation bins.

They issued a statement after the publication, apologizing to the public for a “lapse” in its recycling supply chain.

Source: nasdaq.com

About Miabell Mallikka

Miabell Mallikka is a journalist working with ScandAsia at the headquarters in Bangkok.

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