Adidas To Produce 15-20 Million Pairs Of Shoes Using Ocean Waste In 2020

Let’s give it up for Adidas for going the extra mile to promote sustainability, and putting ocean waste to the best (read fashion-forward) use.

Inspired by the gigantic success of the footwear made with the Parley for the Oceans initiative, the sportswear firm confirmed that a new launch—made from recycled polyester and marine plastic waste—is on the cards. What’s more, Adidas will continue to create Parley-branded shoes and apparel out of ocean plastic in 2020 and is very likely to launch 'Primeblue' fabric containing Parley marine waste that will be incorporated in existing lines such as the brand’s iconic Ultraboost shoes.

The environmentally friendly move might incur expenses to the firm, but Adidas is currently focussed on leading the change. It is learned that Recycled polyester is roughly about 10 percent costlier than the virgin material, but Adidas wants to make its sustainable collection affordable to the masses, so conscious efforts are being implemented to get the price down. “It is a matter of time, it is a matter of scale, of volume and we are trying to lead that charge,” said James Carnes, Adidas vice president of brand strategy in to a media outlet. The report further suggested that brand wishes for more than half of the polyester it uses to be recycled in 2020, ramping up to 100 percent by 2024.

Aside from the ocean plastic initiative, Adidas will kickstart a new strategy: Labelling products made from 100 percent recycled polyester from other sources as 'Primegreen' later in the year.

In 2019, Adidas worked towards getting 46 percent of recycled polyester incorporated into its clothing as compared to just 28 percent for its footwear. Adidas has maintained that it wishes to recycle more than half of the polyester it uses 2020, doubling up the numbers to 100 percent by 2024.

The move comes amid the heavy flak meted out at the fashion industry for mindless fashion which reportedly attributes to 10 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental hazards. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a charity that promotes waste management, says less than 1 percent of the material used for clothing is recycled, which equals a loss of more than $100 billion worth of materials annually.