Sports shoes and methods for manufacturing and recycling of sports shoes

A method for manufacturing a sports shoe, the method comprising:

• fabricating an upper with at least one fabric component, a majority by weight of the upper comprising a thermoplastic base material;
• fabricating a sole, a majority by weight of the sole comprising the thermoplastic base material;
• and
• fabricating a heel counter, wherein the heel counter comprises the thermoplastic base material;
• wherein fabricating the heel counter comprises forming an aperture in the heel counter;
• wherein the sole and the upper are fabricated separately;
• and
• joining the sole and the upper to each other, wherein:
• the at least one fabric component comprises a Shore-D hardness of 54-74;
• the sole comprises a midsole and an outsole;
• wherein the outsole is injected onto the midsole;
• the outsole comprises a Shore-A hardness of 50-70;
• the thermoplastic base material comprises at least one of thermoplastic polyurethane, polyamide, polyethylene terephthalate, or polybutylene terephthalate;
• and
• the thermoplastic base material comprises recycled material.