Access Holdings Transforms Waste Tyres into Sandals for 10,450 Children
CHIGOZIE AMADI
Access Holdings Plc has highlighted the growing social, environmental, and economic impact of A Sandal More, its circular-economy initiative that transforms discarded tyres into durable school sandals for children in underserved communities.
Implemented in partnership with FREEE Recycle, the programme has provided more than 10,450 children with sandals made from recycled materials. It has reached 50 schools, diverted approximately 8,000 waste tyres from unmanaged disposal, and trained 100 young people in shoemaking and entrepreneurship.
‘A Sandal More’ addresses interconnected challenges in education, environmental sustainability, and livelihoods. For children without appropriate footwear, a durable pair of school sandals removes a practical barrier to attending school. At the same time, repurposing discarded tyres offers an alternative to dumping or burning them, while creating opportunities for collectors, artisans, and young trainees across the local value chain.
The initiative shows how a carefully designed community investment can create value in several ways at once. Discarded tyres become useful products, children receive essential footwear, and community members gain skills and livelihood opportunities.
Each sandal contains 85 per cent recycled material. The programme’s circular-impact model connects community tyre collection, recycling, and manufacturing with the distribution of footwear to schoolchildren.
The programme began with 2,200 pairs of sandals distributed to 10 public schools in the Apata and Dugbe areas of Ibadan. It has since expanded to more communities and schools across the Ibadan metropolitan area, reaching more children and deepening participation in the local recycling and production value chain.
Beyond footwear distribution, the initiative uses a Scale-to-Value approach that links environmental recovery, educational support, and economic participation. The initiative recovers waste tyres and uses them in environmentally responsible production; production supports skills development and local livelihoods; and the finished sandals help children attend school with greater comfort, confidence, and dignity.
Ayodeji Lawal, Head of Sustainability, Access Holdings Plc, noted: “This initiative is not simply about distributing sandals. It is about converting an environmental liability into an educational asset and an economic opportunity. That is the kind of shared value we seek to create through our social investments, bringing together environmental responsibility, social impact, and sustainable livelihoods.”
The programme has also built practical skills. One hundred young people have been trained in shoemaking and entrepreneurship, equipping them for work in the footwear, recycling, and small-enterprise sectors.
Through this integrated model, A Sandal More recovers discarded tyres, converts them into durable school footwear, supports children’s participation in education, and helps young people and local value-chain participants develop productive skills and livelihoods.
The programme contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).
“We began this partnership with Access in 2024, and since then we have been able to transform over 8,000 tyres into sandals that have benefited children in several communities,” said Ifedolapo Runsewe, Founder, FREEE Recycle.
Access Holdings will continue to strengthen impact measurements across footwear distribution, participating schools, recovered materials, skills development, and the longer-term educational and livelihood outcomes the initiative creates.
Through A Sandal More, Access Holdings is demonstrating how purposeful investment, partnership and circular-economy thinking can turn an environmental challenge into practical value for children, young people, and their communities.
