Giving Old Sneakers a Second Chance

By: Mia Housman | UMTV Reporter

You may look at an old pair of sneakers sitting in the back of your closet and think, ‘This is junk, right?’

For Moe Hachem, founder and CEO of Sneaker Impact, the answer is no.

“One man’s trash is another’s treasure,” Hachem said, “and his treasure is a growing sneaker recycling operation that is reducing waste, creating jobs, and extending the life of footwear around the world.”

Founded in 2020 and headquartered inside Hachem’s family exporting warehouse in Miami, Sneaker Impact operates with a clear mission: reduce waste, create economic impact, and contribute to global health.

The company receives thousands of donated sneakers from collection bins placed across all 50 U.S. states. Once inside the warehouse, each pair is processed using artificial intelligence technology that identifies the shoe’s material, brand, size, and condition.

From there, shoes are sorted into two main paths:

• Reusable pairs are cleaned, repaired if needed, and shipped overseas in bulk for resale.
• Unsalvageable pairs are mechanically shredded for material repurposing

“Some of those shoes need some love. It’s a perfectly good outsole but the shoes need to be washed; need to be stitched; painted on the side. There’s a job creation piece,” Hachem explained.

That “job creation piece” is central to the company’s impact model. By extending the life cycle of athletic shoes, Sneaker Impact supports repair economies abroad while diverting waste from U.S. landfills.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Americans generate millions of tons of textile waste annually, with a large percentage ending up in landfills or incinerators. Athletic shoes are particularly difficult to recycle because they are made from multiple materials such as rubber, foam, polyester, leather that are often fused together.

Organizations such as Recycle Across America and EPA highlight footwear as a growing category of environmental concern due to fast fashion and rapidly rotating athletic wear trends.

Sneaker Impact aims to interrupt that cycle.

Each donated pair not only avoids landfill accumulation but also reduces demand for new raw material production, lowering carbon footprints tied to manufacturing.

One of the first major donors to Sneaker Impact was the Baptist Health Brickell Run Club, founded by Frankie Ruiz. Over five years, Ruiz estimates the club has donated approximately 2,000 pairs of sneakers. Ruiz believes runners should think about what happens to their shoes after peak mileage.

“I think a reminder that ‘Hey, we’re responsible for something like our running shoes,’ and extending the life of a running shoe… I think it’s sort of a shared responsibility that the running community has,” Ruiz said.

Running shoes are typically replaced every 300 to 500 miles. With millions of runners nationwide, that adds up quickly.

Despite its national collection footprint, Sneaker Impact remains firmly connected to its Miami roots.

The University of Miami has placed 12 Sneaker Impact bins across its Coral Gables campus, encouraging students and community members to donate used footwear.

“The one that is incredibly busy is the one in the Wellness Center. It’s a bin that is full pretty much every two weeks,” said Teddy L’Houtellier, Director of Sustainability at UM.

For Hachem, campus partnerships are about more than collection numbers.

“It’s an amazing relationship, to engage with future leaders by placing the boxes at campus, it’s all about bringing awareness and spreading the message to say this exists,” he said.

The collaboration aligns with UM’s broader sustainability initiatives and student-led environmental efforts.

Unlike some donation systems that simply redistribute items, Sneaker Impact operates within a global supply chain model. Shoes in reusable condition are sent in bulk to partners overseas where they are refurbished and resold in local markets.

This model extends product lifespan, creates local employment in repair industries, and provides affordable footwear options in emerging economies. By contrast, landfilled sneakers contribute to long-term environmental strain, as synthetic materials can take decades and sometimes even centuries to decompose.

Sneaker Impact maintains collection bins across schools, businesses, gyms, and community centers nationwide. Donors can contribute athletic shoes of all brands and conditions.

As sustainability becomes a larger conversation in Miami and nationwide, companies like Sneaker Impact are reframing what “waste” means.

In a city known for fashion and athletic culture – from waterfront run clubs to university athletics – reconsidering what happens after the miles are logged may be the next step toward responsible consumption.

And that old pair of sneakers in the back of your closet?

It might not be junk after all.