Sustainable footprints

US – Adidas has released a new range of sustainable trainers made from plastic bottles.

• The UltraBoost Uncaged Parley sneaker is a collaboration with environmental campaigning agency Parley for the Oceans
• We reported on the collaboration with Parley to design recycled plastic fibres in 2015

The trainer, which will go on sale in mid-November, is being marketed as a fully functional sports shoe with a price point of £178 ($200, €220). The upper section of each shoe is made from 95% waste plastic, which equates to 11 plastic bottles, and 5% recycled polyester. The heel, lining and laces are also made predominantly from recycled materials.

The collaboration will initially result in 7,000 trainers going on sale on the adidas website and across its stores, with plans for 1m to be produced by the end of 2017.

‘We will make 1m pairs of shoes using Parley Ocean Plastic in 2017, and our ultimate ambition is to eliminate virgin plastic from our supply chain,’ Eric Liedtke, an adidas executive, told The Verge.

In addition, the brand announced the introduction of Parley soccer jerseys, created from ocean plastic, in the Bayern Munich and Real Madrid team colours. Both teams will don the shirts, each made from about 28 bottles, during matches played this month.