capsule – which is partly made from pre-owned products. Rather than manufacturing new flannel fabric for this product line, Converse has partnered with Beyond Retro, a UK-based fashion and vintage retailer, and is utilising existing flannel patterns. On average, two pairs of shoe uppers are crafted from each second-hand flannel shirt sourced from Beyond Retro. Here, Inside Retail speaks to Converse vice president for global innovation, Brandon Avery, about the inspiration behind the upcycled collection, the growing demand for eco-conscious footwear, and its ongoing effort to reduce its carbon footprint.    Inside Retail: Tell me about the Converse Upcycled collection. How did it come to be, and what are the goals of this initiative? Brandon Avery: After embarking on a series of creative experiments around self-expression, the Converse innovation and design team discovered the design of the Chuck Taylor upper to be an adaptable platform for a wide range of pre-loved, post-consumer textiles. We essentially constructed an internal project where we invited Converse employees to bring in personal garments that they loved, but had fallen out of love with wearing. They didn’t know what we were going to do with them, so we tested the viability of turning those garments into uppers for the Chuck Taylor collection. With this experiment, two things were uncovered: Firstly, we can make our footwear out of just about anything: automobile seats, coats, or even waterproof envelopes. The only limit is our imagination. And secondly, that that this could be an exciting offering for consumers, but first we needed to be able to replicate it at scale. It would be a few years before we had the right partner and processes in place to manufacture seasonally. Around 2017 – Steven Bethell, the founder of Beyond Retro, connected with a teammate who was involved in this experiment. We quickly realised our connected passion and the opportunity to make something new from waste. Converse also saw the potential of Beyond Retro as a sourcing partner – not just from a material standpoint, but from a process innovation and a fashion-trend standpoint, given their expertise in vintage clothing and retail. It wasn’t long before we visited their factory in India to work through the process and explore how we could connect our respective supply chains. As a company, we’ve been challenged to rethink the way we design, produce, and source our products to reduce our impact. We believe we’ve optimised a scalable seasonal process with upcycling, it’s one that enables us to make better use of thousands of pounds of pre-loved textiles annually. IR:  Can you discuss the customer appetite for eco-conscious footwear, as well as Converse sustainability initiatives that are underway? How does Converse plan to integrate upcycling and sustainability into its broader product range? BA: We know that consumers want brands to do the right thing, but one of the biggest challenges is aligning a tangible benefit with an emotional one. We know that emotion – something that connects to their sense of individuality and identity – is a great purchase driver, and we are exploring solutions that make better products, consider our overall impact, and enhance self-expression. Our signature product, the Chuck Taylor All Star, is a simple product — and ensuring that the [production method is] simple, repeatable, and scalable is the key to making it low-impact. Certain solutions will not necessarily result in an overt consumer-facing collection, but we have integrated it into our product ecosystem because it’s the right thing to do. For example, we are continuously working towards improving our rubber footprint and closing waste loops within our own supply chain. Converse is tracking toward 10 per cent recycled rubber across all footwear by 2025. We’ve also introduced several key programs using the Grind process. Through that process, and depending on the footwear style and rubber colour, we are able to incorporate about 22 to 40 per cent of reclaimed and reused rubber scraps from the manufacturing process and repurpose it back into selected outsoles. IR: More broadly, how is Converse reducing waste and its carbon footprint within its supply chain? Product is just one part of a larger ecosystem that we’ve focused on as part of our overall impact. As a company, we focus on waste reduction and recycling, energy, carbon, and water reduction across a range of areas, including our owned and operated facilities such as offices, distribution centres and retail, globally;  recycled packaging; manufacturing facilities, footprint and processes; freight; material mill facilities and processes; and responsible sourcing. These efforts are aligned with a set of strategic and science-based targets that we track, work to achieve, and report on each year. IR: Do you anticipate that used textiles and products will become more widespread in the footwear industry moving forward, and gain a bigger presence as part of Converse’s shoes? BA: We are excited about the potential for upcycling as a means for unlocking new expressions of design, while also minimising existing post-consumer material waste. We are also continuing to explore scalable evolutions that consider the entire shoe, not just the uppers. We believe that the industry has a viable source base in existing textile and other post-consumer waste to create something new. It just takes a little bit of ingenuity, [relevant] partnership and a willingness to explore new processes.