Timberland To Sell Recyclable Boot

The Timberland Company (NYSE: TBL) unveiled its first recyclable footwear product.

The Earthkeepers 2.0 boot is designed to be disassembled and recycled, rather than discarded, at the end of its product life.

The boots can be returned to any Timberland store and 80% of the materials can be recycled or re-used, the company said in a release. Thes including leather that is refurbished at the company’s factory in the Dominican Republic; removable metal hardware that can be reused in new footwear or recycled; andpolyester lining that can be recycled into new polyester products.

The boots are soled with Green Rubber^TM soles that will go back to a Green Rubber^TM factory in Georgia for recycling. Green Rubber’s patented technology breaks down tire-rubber so that it can be recycled repeatedly back into new products, including Timberland outsoles. Green Rubber, Inc. is a subsidiary of the Kuala-Lumpur based conglomerate The Petra Group.

The Earthkeepers 2.0 boot will be available to consumers in Fall 2009.

"We can be deliberate about designing the ‘greenest’ footwear out there–but if at the end of the day those products still end up in a landfill, we haven’t really closed the loop on our environmental responsibility," explains Brian Moore, VP Men’s Product. "With Earthkeepers 2.0, we have an opportunity to influence the environmental impact of our products in a way we haven’t before–after the point of purchase."

Launched in 2007 Timberland’s Earthkeepers^TM Collection uses materials like recycled PET linings, organic cotton and leathers from tanneries achieving Leather Working Group silver rated status for industry leading water, waste and energy management.