Adidas creates running trainer that is 100% recyclable
‘The next step is to end the concept of waste entirely’
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Your support makes all the difference.Adidas has unveiled its very first running shoe that’s entirely recyclable.
The Futurecraft.Loop trainer is the latest innovation from the sportswear brand.
The shoe is made from just one material: a form of thermoplastic polyurethane, which is then assembled with glue.
The aim of the shoe, once heavily worn, is to be recycled and repurposed so adidas can use its material to create a new pair of trainers.
“Taking plastic waste out of the system is the first step, but we can’t stop there,” said Eric Liedtke, executive board member at adidas.
“What happens to your shoes after you’ve worn them out? You throw them away – except there is no away. There are only landfills and incinerators and ultimately an atmosphere choked with excess carbon, or oceans filled with plastic waste.”
Liedtke said the sports company wishes to “end the concept of waste entirely”.
“Our dream is that you can keep wearing the same shoes over and over again,” he added.
Tanyaradzwa Sahanga, manager in technology innovation at adidas, outlined how the brand embarked on creating a new type of product for its customers.
“We knew this was a far-reaching vision in every way, technically and even behaviourally! There were times when it didn’t seem like we could get over some of the technical hurdles – now we’ve made the first leap, the playing field has changed.”
In 2015, adidas and environmental organisation Parley for the Oceans manufactured a performance trainer with an upper layer made from recycled marine plastic waste.
This year, the sportswear brand plans to produce 11 million pairs of shoes from plastic materials intercepted in coastal areas.
The Futurecraft.Loop shoe is first going to be released by adidas to “200 leading creators from across the world’s major cities”, who will provide the company with feedback on the footwear.
The trainer will then become available to the wider public for spring/summer in 2021.
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