adidas reveals first mass-produced running shoe made of recycled plastic

In a game-changing move, sports brand adidas has today unveiled the UltraBOOST Uncaged Parley running shoe, the first footwear to be mass-produced using Parley Ocean Plastic. Made entirely of recycled materials, the revolutionary launch will see 7,000 pairs go on sale in mid-November as adidas scales up its commitment to their partnership with environmental organisation Parley for the Oceans.

Each pair of the innovative new running shoes reuses eleven plastic bottles, with a Primeknit upper made from a mix of Ocean PlasticTM, created from plastic waste retrieved by Parley coastal interception and clean-up operations in the Maldives (95%) and recycled polyester (5%). Even the shoelaces, heel cap base material, heel webbing, heel lining and sock liner cover have been created out of recycled materials.

Why? As their powerful video reveals (below), one truckload of plastic ends up in our oceans every minute; killing our sea-life and ultimately affecting us as it makes its way into our diet. The initiative follows adidas’ first move into eco-friendly footwear earlier this year on World Oceans Day, when they celebrated with a limited run of 50 pairs.

The brand is thinking far bigger for the coming year, as Eric Liedtke, adidas Group Executive Board member responsible for Global Brands explains:

“This represents another step on the journey of adidas and Parley for the Oceans. But we won’t stop there. We’re now committed to scaling those initiatives. We will make one million pairs of shoes using Parley Ocean Plastic in 2017 – and our ultimate ambition is to eliminate virgin plastic from our supply chain.”

Want to be part of the ocean-saving movement? Join the cause and get your feet into a pair. UltraBOOST Uncaged Parley will be available at adidas.com and adidas stores from mid-November, RSP €200. For more information, sign-up at  adidas.com/parley.

Will you be buying a pair of the recycled trainers? Let us know in the comments!

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