Pages 509–515
Abstract
Research summary supplied by the authors
Modern footwear waste is dominated by multilayer polymer assemblies that resist conventional recycling routes due to permanent adhesive bonding and material incompatibility. In this study, a separationled recycling approach is demonstrated for preconsumer footwear waste comprising PU-coated PET fabrics, synthetic leather, and laminated PU foams. Targeted chemical treatment was employed to selectively disrupt interfacial bonding and recover polyurethane-rich fractions, which were subsequently converted into PU oligomers and upcycled into waterborne polyurethane (WPU) emulsions. The proposed strategy prioritises material separation over complete depolymerisation, enabling higher material retention and value recovery. This work highlights a practical and scalable pathway for integrating chemical separation with polymer upcycling in footwear manufacturing waste streams, offering a lowbarrier route toward circularity in the footwear sector.