Adidas Has 3 New Sneakers on the Way Made With Plastic Ocean Waste
It’s only fitting that the day Adidas releases its 2016 sustainability report that the brand unveils three more sneakers made using marine plastic debris.
The brand announced today that arriving via adidas.com/parley and at select Adidas stores on May 10 are Parley for the Oceans-assisted iterations of the Ultra Boost, Ultra Boost X and Ultra Boost Uncaged.
“As a global brand, we have a responsibility to help change the world for the better,” Mathias Amm, product category director at Adidas Running, said in a statement. “These designs reflect our support for a great cause, while delivering the exceptional performance we are renowned for.”
The blue colorway that adorns all three pairs, according to Adidas, was inspired by the shades of the ocean. Adidas also explained that each pair of sneakers is made with roughly 11 plastic bottles, with components including the laces, heel webbing, heel lining, and insole covers all being constructed with Parley Ocean Plastic.
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Aside from the Parley material, the sneakers are executed with renowned Adidas technologies such as Primeknit and Boost, its Torsion system for natural flex from heel to toe and an Adaptive Arch for comfort and support.
Adidas also released today its environmental sustainability efforts from last year in a report. The report explained several initiatives that were implemented, highlighted by the elimination of roughly 70 million plastic shopping bags (a result of the switch to paper from plastic in its stores), and 736 employees engaging in of 33,000 volunteer hours.
Keeping with its pro-environment message, Adidas is asking runners to hit the road as part of its digital run event with Parley Run for the Oceans during the week of World Oceans Day 2017 (June 8). Adidas wants runners to join its ocean protection community online and then track their runs in the Runtastic mobile app from June 5 to June 11.
Adidas announced its partnership with Parley for the Oceans at the United Nations in New York City in June 2015. The brand confirmed with Footwear News in September 2016 that by the end of 2017, it would produce — and expects to sell — 1 million pairs of shoes from an acclaimed sneaker franchise using recycled ocean plastic.
