Second Step was born inside the LEINN degree (Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Innovation) at Mondragon Unibertsitatea — a degree you learn by doing: getting out there, validating and turning the idea into something that works.
Urban consumptionA step towards urban
that makes sense.consumption that makes sense.
Born in the classrooms of Mondragon Unibertsitatea to change what happens to your sneakers — from Gipuzkoa to the world.
Backed by
The origin
From an idea at LEINN to a real project
That is where Alema Sáenz and Jon Peral put a name to something they saw every day: millions of pairs of sneakers thrown away every year while they can still be repaired. Overconsumption and textile waste, right where Gen Z and street fashion meet.
Their answer was to bring together three worlds that rarely talk to each other: sneakerhead culture, the craft of lifelong shoe repairers and e-commerce technology. One pair recovered, repaired by hand and put back on the street at a fair price.
The team
The people behind every step
Two co-founders, one shared goal: putting sneakers back on the street and taking one more step toward the circular economy in Gipuzkoa.
Co-founder
LinkedInAlema Saenz
Focused on innovation, business development and commercial relationships. Always looking for new opportunities to create value through sustainable projects and business models with real impact.
Co-founder
LinkedInJon Peral
My passion for sneakers taught me the value of consistency, attention to detail and the pursuit of what makes the difference. Today I apply those same principles to developing projects, creating opportunities and building solid relationships.
How we do it
Three pillars, one single step
Triple impact: environmental, local economy and social. Every pair goes through all three stages, no shortcuts.
We recover
We set up community drop-off points in places you already walk past. Every pair that goes into the container is a pair that does not end up in landfill.
First container: Garbera shopping centre, Donostia.
We restore
We work with traditional shoe repairers and workshops across Gipuzkoa. They clean, repair and recondition every pair by hand, one by one.
Paid local craft, not mass production.
We reintroduce
The sneakers go back on the street at secondstep.shop, with their condition described transparently and at a fair price.
And for every 100 pairs recovered, we donate 10 to social organisations.
Impact in numbers
What is already happening
Verifiable data, no friendly rounding. We update this section as the project moves forward.
0 €
- In public backing for the project
0 / 100
- Pairs donated for every 100 recovered
1st
- Territory in Spain with a public collection system for repairing footwear
Department of Sustainability, Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa.
They go to local social organisations and vulnerable groups.
A first at national level.
Backing & press
They back us and trust our impact
It is not just us saying it: public institutions, the university and the media have covered what we do and why it matters.
Gipuzkoa is once again at the forefront of the circular economy. We are the first public institution in Spain to drive a footwear collection system aimed specifically at repair and reuse.
Institutional backing
In the media
Take the step. Keep them walking.
You can start from either side of the circle: buy a restored pair, or bring us the one you no longer wear.
Find the Second Step container at Garbera shopping centre (Donostia / San Sebastián).