LIFE RESKIBOOT closes the loop on ski boot waste with high-purity recycling

The LIFE RESKIBOOT project, coordinated by the Bulgarian company Grifone and funded by the LIFE Programme, has successfully transformed thousands of worn-out ski boots into high-quality recycled new equipment. From 2020 to 2024, during the project's run, the team collected almost 2 000 used pairs of rental ski boots, double its original target, and recovered about 70% of each boot's plastic for reuse.
The innovation lies in a new sorting process developed with technology specialists from the project partner Plastic Sort.
"By adjusting the process and recycling multiple times, we achieved 99% purity, enough for injection-moulded [plastic forming] ski parts," explained LIFE RESKIBOOT Project Manager Stefano Prosdocimo.
This level of purity, achieved without pre-selecting the different types of polymers (plastics), has never been done before for ski boots or other complex sporting goods.

Materials and production
As the Project Manager explained, at first, the project focused on the outer shell and cuff of the boot, made from a polymer [plastic material] that can be melted and re-injected. The inner liners, made from thermoset foams (a type of foam that cannot be melted), were recycled mechanically by grinding and bonding the material into new foams for other products. While more challenging, the recycled liners may even last longer than conventional ones.
The industrial production began in 2022, with 1 000 pairs manufactured and tested on the slopes before entering rental shops for two winter seasons. Feedback was highly positive.

Costumer response
"When people like the boots they rent, they ask to buy them, and that model is the one they request most often," Prosdocimo noted.
While the exact model developed during the project isn't available for retail, the technology has been applied to other products, including junior ski boots with around 80% recycled content in the shell.

Support from LIFE Programme and C2M
The support from the C2M team proved to be critical in maximising the project's impact.
"The LIFE Programme and C2M support were both crucial to our success because, when we started, nothing was certain. Having these two pillars supporting the project has been incredibly helpful. It's very important that more companies and institutions begin to use this approach, so they can benefit from it and, in turn, create benefits for everyone," Prosdocimo said.

Next steps
LIFE RESKIBOOT plans to re-collect and recycle the 1 000 pairs produced during the initiative, showing the full circularity of its approach.
It has also inspired a new initiative, LIFE re_WINTER, which aims to expand the recycling process to include ski equipment alongside boots and to improve the strength and durability of polymers for high-performance models.
Learn more about the project, which focuses on industrial waste, recycling, life cycle assessment, management, and resource efficiency in our project fiche.

The LIFE RESKIBOOT project supports key EU environmental and circular economy policy areas, including the Energy Infrastructure Priorities for 2020 and Beyond: A Blueprint for an Integrated European Energy Network (COM(2010)677) and the Closing the Loop: An EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy (COM(2015)614).

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Looking for support to develop your cleantech solution and bring it to the market? Check out the LIFE Close-to-market page.