Montgomery, Ala., June 25, 2012 – Today, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (HMMA) is donating 1,213 pairs of sneakers to a nonprofit organization called GreenSneakers.  GreenSneakers gives donated tennis shoes a second chance at life by making them available as affordable footwear for people in need around the world.

For the past month, HMMA team members have been collecting used sneakers by cleaning out their closets, knocking on neighbors’ doors and even asking local athletes to donate sneakers for the cause. Other team members made monetary donations that were used to purchase new sneakers for the drive.

“We are grateful for Hyundai’s willingness to take winning steps to a greener tomorrow through a simple and sustainable effort of collecting used sneakers and giving them a second chance,” GreenSneakers executive director Doug Bartels stated. “Hyundai shows the kind of commitment and foresight to social and environmental engagement that other corporations would do well to exemplify.”

The 1,213 sneakers collected by HMMA team members will be weighed and the GreenSneakers organization will donate 50 cents per pound to a local charity.  A single pair of sneakers can weigh up to 2 pounds. HMMA earned $942.20. This money was donated to the Brantwood Children’s Home, a Montgomery organization providing a safe, stable, and structured environment for abused, neglected and other “at risk” children.

The environmentally-friendly GreenSneakers program is yet another way HMMA team members are giving back to society. HMMA is dedicated to furthering its corporate social impact mission of pursuing environmentally-positive, economic activities and contributing toward mankind’s happiness and a sustainable society.

The GreenSneakers program provides companies with a way to engage in helping the planet through the reuse and recycling of used tennis shoes.  By participating in this drive, HMMA is helping keep sneakers out of landfills where it can take years to break  down the shoes’ materials. In addition to helping protect our environment, the effort provides shoes for people in need around the world.  Any sneakers that do not find a home will be recycled and partially used for road surfaces and underlayment for basketball courts.