Adidas launches three new trainers made from recycled ocean plastic

The brand is turning pollution into high-performance products

Adidas x Parley Collection 2017

Adidas is set to launch three new editions of its popular UltraBoost shoe next month, made using plastic debris found in the ocean.

In a further bid to end pollution, the German sportswear brand has joined forces with environmental initiative Parley for the Ocean for the second time with the Ultraboost, Ultraboost X, and Ultraboost Uncaged.

Available in-store and online starting May 10, the kicks will reuse 11 plastic bottles per pair and feature laces, heel lining and sock liner covers made from other recycled materials.

Helping to achieve Adidas’ goal of creating one million pairs of UltraBoost sneakers using ocean plastic this year, Parley for the Oceans are helping to turn waste into thread which is used in building the running shoes.

“At Adidas, our core belief is that through sport, we have the power to change lives,” said Kasper Rorsted, Adidas CEO.

“We are one of the very few companies that integrate sustainability into their business model, which becomes most visible in the fact that we take sustainability to the product level.

“We not only see sustainability as an opportunity to get a competitive advantage. We see it as an obligation for us as a global company to do business in a responsible and sustainable way.”

With plastics estimated to make up almost 80 per cent of the total marine debris in the world’s oceans, the Adidas x Parley collection is making waves in sustainability.

But for the sportswear giant, turning pollution into high-performance products is just part of a wider scheme to raise awareness of the problem.

Last year, the brand traded plastic bags in its retail stores for paper ones and, as a result, is said to have eliminated almost 70 million plastic shopping bags.