HERZOGENAURACH – German sportswear giant Adidas will use more than 50 per cent recycled polyester in its products for the first time in 2020 as part of a long-term goal of using 100 per cent recycled polyester from 2024 onwards. The business says in 2020 it also plans to produce a record 15 to 20 million pairs of shoes with plastic waste collected from beaches and coastal regions. Last year, adidas produced more than eleven million pairs of such shoes.
The use of recycled plastic in products is said to be part of the company’s efforts to avoid plastic waste and help reduce pollution of the world’s oceans.
In 2020, adidas says it also introduce new product categories “based on sustainability criteria.”
Adidas also says its first fully recyclable running shoe ‘Futurecraft Loop’ has been in the test phase since 2019, with a market launch planned for 2021. Futurecraft Loop is made from a single recyclable material from sole to laces and is fused together without the need for glue. After an initial test phase with 200 athletes last year, the shoes were returned to adidas and the company recycled them into components for new shoes.
In terms of climate protection, by 2030, adidas says it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from both its own activities and those of its suppliers by 30 per cent compared to the year 2017.
In a bid to establish complete circular recycling processes, adidas has been testing consumer-friendly solutions for the return of used products since last year. In the UK, the program “Infinite Play” allows consumers to return adidas footwear or apparel to adidas partner Stuffstr using the adidas app and to receive a voucher for the company’s online store. The returned products will be resold or, if that is not possible, recycled.
