As part of its sustainability commitment, sports and footwear giant adidas (Herzogenaurach / Germany; www.adidas-group.com) has pledged that more than half of the polyester used in its products in 2020 will come from recycled plastics waste. In addition, from 2024 onwards, the company has promised to use only recycled polyester in every product.

In 2020, adidas said it will produce between 15m and 20m pairs of shoes using recycled plastics waste from beaches and coastal regions, a significant increase from 2019, when the multinational sports brand made more than 11m pairs. It made just 5m in 2018 and 1m in 2017. The move comes as the company gears up to launch its first fully recyclable running shoe “Futurecraft Loop” in 2021 – see Plasteurope.com of 30.04.2019.

In partnership with fashion brand Stella McCartney, adidas has also developed a prototype of a tennis dress made from cellulose and protein. The new product was launched at the Wimbledon tennis tournament in 2019.

Adidas added that it intends to develop bio-fabricated products in the coming years. Its Reebok subsidiary already uses renewable materials, including cotton, corn, algae and natural rubber to produce its “Cotton + Corn” and “Forever Floatride Grow” shoes. Other commitments that adidas has made include using recycled materials in its packaging from 2021 onwards. The group is currently testing a recycling loop for transport packaging in Spain as part of the global innovation platform “Fashion for Good” (www.fashionforgood.com). The company is also testing a programme in the UK called “Infinite Play” where customers can return used footwear or clothing for resale or recycling.

In addition, as a signatory to the United Nations “Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action”, adidas has vowed to reduce both its own and its suppliers’ greenhouse gas emissions by 30% (versus 2017) by 2030 and to be climate neutral by 2050. The sustainability pledges come as many mainstream brands are responding to customers’ growing awareness of the fashion industry’s impact on the environment. It is estimated that the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions. The UN Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action notes that total greenhouse gas emissions from textiles production of 1.2 bn t/y are currently more than those of all international flights and maritime shipping combined. Some estimates expect the fashion sector’s emissions to rise by more than 60% by 2030 unless it starts to shift towards more sustainable practices.

Separately, adidas has created an artificial football field from around 1.8m recycled plastic bottles. James Carnes, vice president of global brand strategy for adidas, told CNN that the sustainable field was made from plastic bottles sourced from remote islands, beaches, coastal communities and shorelines – all with the goal of preventing it from polluting the ocean. The company has donated the field to Miami Edison High School in Florida / USA.