Adidas: Use Marine debris to create environmentally friendly

In the world of sports shoes, Adidas has always been synonymous with innovation and trend. What you might not know, however, is that this well-known sports brand is leading a green revolution by making sneakers out of ocean plastic waste - and has sold more than a million pairs!

 

In an interview with CNBC, Adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted revealed that Adidas sold more than 1 million pairs of sneakers made from ocean plastic waste in the last fiscal year. The news is surprising, after all, who would have thought that garbage could be turned into stylish and functional sneakers?

 

In fact, as early as 2015, Adidas cooperated with the Marine environmental protection organization Parley for the Oceans (referred to as Parley) to launch an environmentally friendly concept shoe that is almost entirely based on Marine plastic waste. Eric Liedtke, global executive director of Adidas at the time, showed the shoes at the United Nations climate change talks at United Nations headquarters, which attracted wide attention.

 

The eco-friendly shoe's upper is made from recycled Marine debris and fishing nets taken from illegal poaching boats. After special processing, the garbage is turned into raw materials for making shoes. It was not until 2016 that the environmentally friendly concept shoes were officially mass-produced and released. The UltraBOOST Uncaged Parley sneakers, launched by Adidas and Parley in November 2016, feature a knitted upper made of 95% Marine plastic and 5% recycled polyester. According to reports, each pair of such shoes cost an average of 11 plastic bottles, not only that, shoelaces, insoles, heels, tongue and other parts are also made of recycled waste plastic processing.

 

In addition to sneakers, Adidas also uses the same material to make uniforms for Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. The shoes and jerseys are made of Marine plastic waste Parley recycled from the Maldives coast, and Adidas launched a joint brand to raise awareness of Marine plastic pollution. In the past, Adidas has been controversial and criticized because of the toxic waste emitted by its factories, and the launch of the environmental protection concept shoes is obviously also to reverse its negative image in environmental protection.

 

The use of sustainable materials to make sneakers has become a trend for sports brands in recent years. On the one hand, making full use of recyclable materials can reduce certain costs; On the other hand, it can establish an image of environmental protection and health and attract more consumers. In addition to Adidas, sports brands such as Nike, Puma and Reebok have also launched shoe products made from recycled materials. Nike's Nike Grind material recycles existing products and materials, currently 71% of Nike footwear and apparel products are used this material; Last year, Nike also developed a new recycled leather material Flyleather, and released the first pair of white retro tennis shoes made of Flyleather. As early as 2013, Puma launched InCycle, a biodegradable and recyclable product portfolio, in which Puma basketball T-shirts can be fully degradable. Last year, Reebok also launched a pair of eco-friendly concept shoes with a vamp woven from organic cotton and a sole made from industrial corn. Even Allbirds, a niche sports brand that started with wool sneakers, recently launched new sneakers made from eucalyptus fiber, a material that can also be used sustainably.

 

The success of Adidas environmental concept shoes not only won the market and reputation for the brand, but also provided valuable experience for the sustainable development of the entire sports industry. More and more brands are beginning to pay attention to the application of environmentally friendly materials, which is undoubtedly a positive signal. Perhaps in the near future, we can see more sports products made of environmentally friendly materials, contributing to the protection of the earth's environment. Would you like to try a pair of sneakers made from Marine debris?