Reporters hid tracking devices in shoes that were supposed to be recycled, and they ended up at a market in Indonesia instead

• Reuters tracked 11 pairs of donated shoes to test a recycling program launched by Dow and Singapore.
• Most landed in markets or remote areas in Indonesia, which banned used-apparel imports in 2015.
• Dow launched its own investigation and removed an exporter from the recycling program.

In 2021, the US chemical company Dow and Singapore's government promised to transform the rubber from old shoes into playground and running-track surfaces.