It doesn’t just look good: The Adidas FUTURECRAFT.LOOP is a running shoe that is 100% recyclable. Photo: ADIDAS AG

Adidas Boosts Recycling with Trainers

The ocean at your feet

Two different types of trainers, united by a common theme: recycling. In 2015, Adidas cooperated with the environmental protection organisation Parley for the Oceans to give the public the first shoe produced with an upper in which around 85% of the material is made from plastic rubbish collected from the ocean.

Depending on shoe size, around eleven plastic bottles are used for each trainer, along with fishing nets which are treated to make new yarns and fibres. Taking inspiration from the coastal regions, the colour schemes for the trainers range from blue to green tones.

Currently, over five million pairs of this edition of trainers are produced annually. This figure is due to hit eleven million by the end of 2019. The DAX group also wants to replace all of the polyester in its entire footwear range with Parley material by 2024. In addition to its shoes, Adidas also sells other clothing such as swimwear and sports clothes made from Parley material.

Running shoes that go with the ocean’s flow

2015: First presentation of the Adidas Parley trainers made from plastic collected from the sea and recycled
2017: Manufacturing figures rise to 1 million pairs of shoes
2018: Increase again: figures break 5 million pairs of shoes
Before the end of 2019: Adidas will hit 11 million pairs
By 2024: Entire shoe range will be produced without any new polyester

Closing the loop

The high-performance running shoe FUTURECRAFT.LOOP, presented in Spring 2019, is also built around recycling. The main draw for this innovation is that all of its materials are completely recyclable. With the Parley shoe, Adidas focused on using ocean plastic. With the FUTURECRAFT.LOOP, the German company wants to completely close the production loop.

All of the materials used in the shoe can be fully recycled. The soles, upper and laces are all made from the same material: thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), a plastic. When it comes to connecting the individual components together, artificial colours and adhesives are done away with. This means that the shoe can be deconstructed into its individual parts without any issues once it has been used. These are then washed, melted and remoulded into a new shoe, the quality of which remains as high as the original shoe.

In any case, Adidas needs consumers’ help to execute this plan as the FUTURECRAFT.LOOPs need to be dispensed with at an Adidas shop.

1. The generation Loop shoe

200 well-known creative minds worldwide will receive the opportunity to be the first to wear the FUTURECRAFT.LOOP in a global beta program. After the test, the shoes should all come back to the original manufacturer, be deconstructed and, based on the feedback of the runner, developed into a second generation of the shoe. The global market launch for this recyclable high-performance shoe is slated for Spring/Summer 2021. A digital bonus: If the NFC chip, which is embedded in the heel, is scanned then this takes the user to a digital platform where they are informed of the sustainable manufacturing process for the shoe.