Recycling, solidarity and positive impact. These are the three pillars of NoTime, a young Spanish company that has created the first shoes made with recycled tennis balls. In doing so, it shows that the circular economy is here to stay.
And the fact is that, each year, more than 300 million used tennis balls are thrown away, which take an average of 2,500 years to decompose, producing methane gas and contributing to global warming and environmental degradation.
Waste for which NoTime has found a solution: a new life in the sole of its innovative shoes, which have already raised more than 244,000 pesos on the Kickstarter portal.
From the slopes, to the creation of a company: the history of NoTime
The idea was born from six Spanish entrepreneurs: Diego Carmona, Koro López, Jorge Zaira, Jorge Calle, Iñaki Nuñez and Carlos Ruiz, who reconsidered what to do with used tennis balls after a match.
Convinced that the plush and rubber of the ball could have a second life, they contacted professionals in the sector and did all kinds of experiments until they could attach the old balls to the sole of a shoe.
For its composition, they have a factory for the artisan production of footwear in Elche (Alicante, Spain). They are made by hand and, in addition to tennis balls, they can integrate other recycled materials such as used tires, microplastics from the sea or coffee.
In addition, NoTime has a strong mission to generate a positive impact on society. From the moment they started the brand, they did it together with the A LA PAR Foundation, who collaborates on the designs and receives 20% of the profits.
In this way, the company not only provides its particular solution to an environmental problem, but also collaborates in the integration of people with intellectual disabilities. A statement of intent that is reflected in its motto “Dress how you think!”
The financing campaign on Kickstarter will remain active until January 2021. The new year lights up this avant-garde project that, of course, has no waste.
Note written by: David Sánchez (@DASanchez__). «The content and opinions expressed in the articles of the publication are the sole responsibility of their authors, so they do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Media Business Generators and / or the publisher responsible for the publication.«
