Adidas’ shoes made entirely of ocean plastic debris
The German sportswear manufacturer Adidas teamed up with a conservationist group to raise awareness on plastic pollution in oceans. In the meantime, the shoe maker announced a pair of sneakers exclusively made of recycled ocean debris and illegal gillnets.
The shoes are only a prototype and they may hit the stores later this year in an altered version. Their upper is made exclusively of recycled plastic fished out of the sea, while the sole is made of sustainable materials, the company said.
For the project, Adidas partnered with a conservationist group called Parley for the Oceans. The group was formed a couple of years ago in an attempt of preserving and protecting the oceans.
In 2006, a report issued by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization suggested that there were at least 46,000 bits of plastic floating across the ocean for every square mile.
Plastic debris pollution is so harmful to marine life that it can kill 100,000 marine animals each year along with more than a million birds, UN researchers claim. Nevertheless, these numbers are only estimates and no one really knows how severe the situation really is.
Adidas’ concept shoe was revealed by the founder of Parley for the Oceans during an annual event hosted by the U.N. Details on the prototype were provided by Eric Liedtke of Adidas.
The gillnets that were used to design the shoe were fished by a partner of the Parley for the Oceans which followed from safe distance a poaching vessel for more than 100 days. The chase was finally over off the coast of West Africa, where authorities caught the poachers and gillnets were confiscated.
The conservationist group revealed last week that the new sneakers were designed to raise public awareness on ocean pollution and insert the topic in future climate change talks.
“Our objective is to boost public awareness and to inspire new collaborations that can contribute to protect and preserve the oceans,”
the conservationist group’s founder said.
Parley for the Oceans also said that they were “extremely proud” to have Adidas in the team and use its creative potential to boost the partnership and prove the world that you can create “cool stuff” from ocean trash.
A couple of months ago, days after it disclosed its partnership with the conservationist group, Adidas said that it wouldn’t allow plastic bag use in its retail stores anymore.
The shoe made of recycled ocean waste does not have a name, neither an official release date. But the company said that more sustainable products are currently being developed.
Image Source: Ecouterre
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