Havaianas Asia Pacific (APAC), today announces a pledge to collect 10 percent of total sold flip flops from its APAC business via their ReCycle stations in stores across the region. The pledge, which the brand aims to meet by 2030, supports Havaianas’ strategic ambition to create a more colorful and freer tomorrow through taking steps that contribute to a more sustainable future. In addition to the collection goal, Havaianas will ensure 100 percent of its monobrand stores in APAC feature collection points by 2030, making recycling of flip flops easier for all. The pledge is supported by Alpargatas, the parent company of Havaianas, who has a number of goals that align with the UN’s sustainable development goals, and aims to contribute to a more circular economy whilst reducing impacts on the environment.
Robert Esser, President of Alpargatas, S.A. for APAC and China shares, “We are proud to make this pledge that sets out to mitigate the impact on the environment here in Asia, by reducing the amount of rubber flip flops ending up in landfills. Alpargatas and the Havaianas brand is seeking to make it easier for people to make more conscious choices in their daily lives. To do this, we are immersed in our processes and products, seeking innovative solutions and rethinking traditional logics, from raw materials, production, transport, to the possibilities of final disposal and new life cycles.” He adds “We believe in a world without strings and in the power of renewal – we are only free when the world is too. Our ambitions extend beyond the planet, to people too, as nothing is more liberating than a colourful and comfortable environment where everyone can express their unique way of life.”
The ReCycle initiative invites consumers to consciously discard their old Havaianas in the ReCycle bins located in Havaianas stores. To give the rubber material a new life, the collected flip flops will be sent to a local recycling partner and be transformed into a new eco-friendly product, such as rubber playground floors to be used in schools, sports infrastructures such as running tracks, or home and office items such as mouse pads and table mats.
Australia was the first market in APAC to launch the programme in October 2021, in collaboration with local partner Terracycle. The successful Australia trial and the results from other global markets, has led Havaianas to roll out the initiative in additional APAC locations since October 2022, including in Singapore, The Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand. ReCycle will also launch in Taiwan and New Zealand in 2023. Through these seven markets, Havaianas have already set up more than 100 stores with collection points, and foresees another 20 monobrand stores to add collection points during 2023, achieving 40 percent of the 2030 goal, by the end of 2023.
To help reach the goal to collect 10 percent of total sold flip flops from its APAC business via ReCycle stations in the region, Havaianas APAC will be launching a number of initiatives that will help raise awareness for ReCycle, and create incentives for people to participate in the scheme, such as gifts and discounts on future purchases.
Havaianas has always cared about the production of its products, and adding value at the end of their life cycle is a natural next step for the brand. At the start of the life cycle, all Havaianas are made with the ambition to last longer, so people buy their favourite pair and live amazing experiences without having to buy new pairs on a regular basis – when Havaianas last longer, it allows for more conscious consumption. 100 per cent of the brand’s raw materials and finished product suppliers are in line with Havaianas’ socio-environmental criteria, such as having transparent supply chains and traceability. During the production process, 100 per cent of the waste generated has an appropriate destination, with around 40 per cent of what is left reused to make new Havaianas, and the other part recycled to make carpets, rubber floors or directed to co-processing, so nothing goes to waste. Once Havaianas are ready to sell, the packaging is also as eco-friendly as possible – in 2022, Havaianas launched an initiative to transform its packaging ecosystem to use less paper and reduce CO2 emissions.
Havaianas also initiates a number of sustainable collections. With every purchase of the IPÊ and CI collections, 7 per cent of the net sales is donated to projects for the conservation and restoration of biodiversity. To date, the initiative with IPÊ has helped plant over five-million trees in the Atlantic Forest, while the CI collection has contributed to the preservation of more than 900,000 acres of marine and coastal ecosystems in Brazil’s Abrolhos region. With the Pride collection, 7 per cent of net sales go to All Out Global, a charity that is fighting for a world where no one has to sacrifice their family, freedom, safety or dignity because of who they are or who they love.