Adidas puts its foot down for protecting oceans

Athletic-apparel developer Adidas has introduced a new sneaker featuring plastic reclaimed and recycled from ocean waste.

Presented at the United Nations headquarters in New York, the company unveiled its new shoe at a reception celebrating its partnership with Parley for the Oceans, an organization of creators, thinkers and leaders working to raise awareness about the state of the oceans and to collaborate on projects that can protect and conserve them. As a founding member company, Adidas supports Parley for the Oceans in its education and communication efforts and its Ocean Plastic Program that aims to end plastic pollution of the oceans.

The United Nations hosted Parley Talks titled “Oceans. Climate. Life.” at an event on climate change. Environmentalists, creatives, scientists and entrepreneurs gave a briefing on the state of the oceans and climate change, while Parley collaborators presented their visions, projects, inventions and solutions.

The event included a press event at which Eric Liedtke, Adidas group executive board member global brands, and Parley for the Oceans founder Cyrill Gutsch discussed the partnership and showcased the shoe: its first prototype product. The shoe’s upper is made entirely of yarns and filaments recycled from ocean waste and illegal deep-sea gillnets. Parley partner Sea Shepherd retrieved the nets after a 110-day expedition tracking an illegal poaching vessel, which culminated off the coast of West Africa.