At Bared, it is our goal to keep as many shoes out of landfill as possible.

Our internal "No Destruction Policy" is a commitment we have made to always seek sustainable solutions for Bared stock in our possession that is unsold, damaged or unwearable. These shoes will always be repaired, donated or recycled.

While we cannot control what happens to our shoes once they leave the store, we want to make it as easy as possible for our community to participate in our mission by recycling their well-loved footwear. Every Bared store is home to a drop off box, where customers can bring in their shoes to be recycled by one of our recycling partners.

Before they enter the store:

Minimising excess stock

We recognise that overproduction is common in many manufacturing practices. Our experienced planning team uses forecasting formulas, data analytics and sales history to carefully determine minimum production quantities for each new collection. This helps us accurately predict stock levels, reduce excess inventory and take a more thoughtful approach to production. We are also moving to integrate AI into our planning and forecasting to make this process even more precise.

We collect and analyse customer feedback from multiple channels, including product reviews, in-store conversations and online enquiries, to quantify demand and predict which styles will be most popular. Sometimes we still underestimate how much you will love a style and it sells out quickly after launch. When this happens, we track registrations of interest for a restock and use this data to decide which styles to put back into production and in what volumes. This analysis-led approach helps us avoid overproduction and unsold items.

When they leave the store:

Our Donation Partners

At Bared Footwear, we believe in giving back to the community and supporting those in need. We are proud to have donated over $215,000+ worth of footwear to Thread Together and Fitted For Work in 2024.

Fitted For Work

Fitted For Work is committed to helping women experiencing disadvantage to achieve economic independence. They provide women with professional clothing, interview coaching and mentoring to help them secure and maintain employment. By empowering women with the confidence and skills they need to succeed in the workforce, Fitted For Work is transforming lives and fostering gender equality in the workplace.

Thread Together

Founded in 2012 by Andie Halas, Thread Together aims to reduce clothing waste by donating unsold, brand-new clothes that might otherwise go unused - ensuring these items serve a valuable purpose. The organisation partners with fashion brands, charities and volunteers to provide clothing to thousands of people across Australia every week.

Recycling unwearable stock with UPPAREL

Any stock that is deemed unwearable by our team and unfit for donation is recycled with our partners, Save Our Soles and UPPAREL. Since 2019, we’ve been recycling shoes and, to date, we have recycled over 42,000 pairs and counting.

As a brand, we take ownership of the impact of the footwear industry and collect both Bared stock and any other brand’s used footwear. We pay for the logistics and responsible disposal of this footwear.

Once collected, the shoes are decommissioned, sorted and sent to processing partners by UPPAREL. Shoes contain complex components, and decommissioning them is a time and labour-intensive process. They are generally separated into:

Uppers:

Sent to textile recycling facilities to be used in post-consumer materials.

Soles:

Once separated from the shoe, the rubber soles are fed into a machine which separates the fibres and creates rubber “crumb”. This crumb is turned into rubber matting for use in gyms, offices, stores and playgrounds.

Hardware:

Manually removed from the shoe and, if possible, sent to hard goods recycling to be melted down and reused.

We love the important work of UPPAREL, but we also know it’s not a solution the industry can rely on forever – there are only so many rubber mats needed in the world. That’s why we’re working hard to seek out the world’s best material innovators to help pave the way for a better future for footwear.