👟 Kicks with a Cause

How a Miami Company Is Turning Old Sneakers into a Global Opportunity

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Meet Sneaker Impact, a Miami company reshaping global waste, one shoe at a time. Watch our latest On Site video feature at their Little Haiti warehouse.

Standing in front of rows of sneakers, Moe Hachem proudly lifts one foot. The midsoles of his shoes are made almost entirely from sneaker waste — collected, ground down, and repurposed in the heart of Little Haiti.

“Look at these sandals. This is another one,” he says, picking up another few pairs behind him.

In many parts of the world, from West Africa to Central America, people rely on secondhand footwear for transportation.

Still, nearly 90% of our footwear and textiles end up in the landfill.

Hachem’s sneaker story is changing that.

“The problem we want to solve is how can we take waste and give it a new life, waste that could be reused and waste that could be recycled and made into new material,” he said from his warehouse in Little Haiti, where he runs Sneaker Impact. Watch our latest On Site video feature here.

Across more than 3,000 gyms, schools, and retail locations nationwide, Sneaker Impact’s drop-off boxes offer a simple call to action: Don’t toss your old sneakers—give them a second life. Each box is labeled and tracked. Once full, it’s shipped to the company's Little Haiti warehouse, where the work of sorting and repurposing begins.

Sorting and Grading the Shoes

Hachem compares the sorting to how you’d evaluate used tires: the sneakers are graded by condition, model, and origin using a combination of human expertise and emerging AI technology that scans each pair from all angles. This process determines their next stage: either reuse or recycle.

If they are to be reused, the shoes get tossed into massive bags (each carrying over 200 pairs) sent to other countries – from Ghana to Guatemala – where local microbusiness merchants can refurbish and resell the patched-up, washed, or painted sneaker.

“We are reducing waste here at home and we are creating micro business opportunities and helping the planet,” Hachem noted.

More than 20% of the world’s population is infected with different diseases, in part because they don’t have access to footwear. “In many parts of the world, sneakers are how people get from point A to point B. A good pair can change someone’s life,” Hachem said.

Recycling, Reinvented in Little Haiti

Roughly 85% of the shoes Sneaker Impact receives are deemed reusable. The remaining 15%? They're shredded, sorted, and transformed from Sneaker Impact’s Little Haiti warehouse.

While some sneaker giants separate basic materials like foam and rubber, Sneaker Impact takes it further, using infrared lasers to identify and sort foam by chemical type.

The result is a 98% purity rate, allowing these materials to be reused in new products like sandals, insulation, and midsoles.

Just like the midsoles on Hachem’s sneakers. “The shoes I’m wearing? 85% made from waste, right here in the 305.”

The Global Problem of Sneaker Waste

Footwear waste is a global crisis. Over 2.4 billion pairs of shoes are sold in the U.S. annually, and Hachem estimates that far more than the reported 300 million end up in landfills. Even worse, many still-usable pairs are dumped in the wrong markets—oversized sneakers sent to countries that can’t use them, or unrepairable pairs flooding local economies with trash instead of opportunity.

“This is when you're talking about waste in Ghana and waste in Chile. You're going to make sure you're not sending trash to developing countries,” Hachem added.

And while 87% of textiles and footwear still end up in landfills, studies show that over 90% of people want to do the right thing—they just don’t have the tools. Sneaker Impact is giving them those tools, one box at a time.

Miami’s Role in a Circular Future

Sneaker Impact was born during the pandemic, when Hachem was reflecting on purpose and legacy and decided to turn decades of reuse work into a larger mission.

From fiber-to-fiber textile separation to AI-integrated tracking, Sneaker Impact is positioning Miami as a leader in circular economy innovation. And the company is already working on its next frontier: scaling from shoes to apparel, and from Miami to the world.

“We’re a for-profit social enterprise,” Hachem said. “We are reducing waste here at home. We are creating micro business opportunities. This is going to be not only all over the U.S., but Sneaker Impact will be a worldwide movement.”

What You Can Do

Before you toss out your next pair of worn-out sneakers, ask yourself: could someone else use them? Could they become part of something bigger?

If you’re in Miami-Dade County, keep an eye out for the blue and white Sneaker Impact boxes. Or visit sneakerimpact.com to order a takeback kit or learn how to get involved.

The future of sustainability starts with a single step. Join us in building something bigger.

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~ Opportunity Miami