Dr. Martens to Roll Out a Boot Repair Service in the UK in Latest Sustainability Push
Dr. Martens is bolstering its sustainability commitments with a new solution for its used footwear.
The boot maker has announced that it will roll out a shoe repair service in the U.K. next month to help consumers extend the lives of their Dr. Martens footwear. The program will be run via a new partnership with The Boot Repair Company, which is based in the English city of Leeds. Craftspeople who have undergone an eight-week training course will assist consumers in the repair of almost any component of their Dr. Martens footwear. Whereas it would cost close to 169 pounds (or about $210 at current exchange) to buy a new pairs of Dr. Martens 1460 boots, replacing a sole will cost close 81 pounds (or about $100 at current exchange), with other repairs costing less than that.
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The news was announced during a capital markets event at the company’s Camden, London headquarters on Thursday. During the event, Dr. Martens CEO Kenny Wilson said he gets frequent messages from people asking if they can get their Dr Martens repaired.
“It is one of the things that consumers write to me about the most — emails and hand-written letters —about old pairs they’ve owned for many years and want to get repaired,” he said, noting that potentially lost business in the short-term would be outweighed by the potential long term customer loyalty this program would breed.
He added that this new initiative appeals to “people who are into sustainability and who don’t want to buy new things, and others who have a loved pair and want to make them great again.”
The news marks Dr. Martens latest effort to become a more sustainable company. In May of 2022, the footwear brand said it would collaborate with Depop, a top European online secondhand marketplace, in a trial to sell repaired and refurbished shoes via its “ReSouled,” program. This program was also made possible through a partnership with The Boot Repair Company, which repaired used shoes for them to be listed on Dr. Martens ReSouled Depop shop.
Dr. Martens has also outlined a goal to become net-zero by 2040 and the brand is targeting the use of sustainable materials for 100 percent of its footwear by 2040 and 100 percent recycled or sustainably-sourced materials used for packaging by 2028.
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