HERZOGENAURACH – German sportswear giant Adidas will produce 11 million pairs of shoes containing recycled plastic waste in 2019. This is a doubling of last year’s figure of five million which will see the business continue its cooperation with environmental organisation and global collaboration network, Parley for the Oceans. Production of the shoes sees plastic waste collected on beaches, such as the Maldives, before it is then made into a yarn, becoming a key component of the upper material of adidas footwear.
Said Eric Liedtk, adidas executive board member responsible for global brands: “With adidas products made from recycled plastic, we offer our consumers real added value beyond the look, functionality and quality of the product, because every shoe is a small contribution to the preservation of our oceans. After one million pairs of shoes produced in 2017, five million in 2018, we plan to produce eleven million pairs of shoes containing recycled ocean plastic in 2019.”
“Sustainability at adidas goes far beyond recycled plastic,” added executive board member Gil Steyaert, responsible for global operations. “We also continue to improve our environmental performance during the manufacturing of our products. This includes the use of sustainable materials, the reduction of CO2 emissions and waste prevention. In 2018 alone, we saved more than 40 tons of plastic waste in our offices, retail stores, warehouses and distribution centres worldwide and replaced it with more sustainable solutions.”
Recently, adidas signed the Climate Protection Charter for the Fashion Industry at the UN Climate Change Conference in Katowice, Poland, and agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2030. In addition, adidas is committed to using only recycled polyester in every product and on every application where a solution exists by 2024.
