Adidas & Parley launch running shoe from ocean plastic

Adidas and Parley for the Oceans have announced the release of a limited number of the iconic running shoe on the occasion of World Oceans Day (June 8) made from Parley Ocean Plastic, which is collected in coastal areas in the Maldives.

The shoe has been created with Adidas’ most innovative production method: Adidas Tailored Fibre Technology, a revolutionary manufacturing technique that enables unique footwear designs to be tailored to the individual needs of any athlete.

“This is an inspiring partnership between Adidas and Parley.  What Adidas and Parley is doing, by turning waste into a running shoe, shows that even waste that is harming the planet can be used to create something special,” said Zinedine Zidane.

With the goal of developing and supporting new technologies to up-cycle ocean plastic debris, over the last year Adidas and Parley for the Oceans have worked on turning ocean plastic into technical yarn fibres that can be used for performance products. This shoe is the first in a series of products that Adidas is now able to produce using Parley Ocean Plastic.

“So much work has happened behind the scenes since we launched our partnership with Adidas. We are creating new standards, new materials and technologies that are so different to those the sporting goods industry is used to,” said Cyrill Gutsch, founder of Parley for the Oceans. 

“It is an ongoing challenge, but we achieved the first step. Now we can replace new plastic with recycled marine plastic debris: Parley Ocean Plastic. We can create footwear and apparel products with it and we are ready to scale it up,” Gutsch added.

People around the world are being given until the end of July 2016 to enter a creative Instagram contest to earn one of the 50 available pairs.