The fashion industry has been coming under fire in recent years for its environmental impact. Not only does the industry have a large carbon footprint, but many of the materials it uses are damaging for ocean environments.
Sustainability has become a key concern for conscious consumers, and this has been having a knock-on effect on brands. Adidas has already made efforts to address its environmental impact by using recycled PET plastic in its products, and now it has made another step forward by releasing its first totally recyclable shoe.
The shoe was launched as part of Adidas’ recent Ultraboost release that was timed to coincide with Earth Week and is called Made to be Remade. The idea behind the sneaker is that it forms part of a circular economy. It’s made with materials and technology that enable the shoes to be returned to Adidas at the end of their life, after which they will be remade into a new pair of shoes or product, hence the Made to be Remade moniker.
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The way in which the shoes are returned to Adidas is actually pretty nifty — on the tongue of each pair there is a QR code. When scanned with a smartphone, it launches a digital experience where the return process can be accessed and managed.
Adidas is touting these shoes as part of its continued efforts to bring an end to plastic waste and reduce the plastic pollution of the oceans. It also has an ongoing collaboration with Parley where it uses reclaimed ocean plastic in the shoe design.
While Adidas should be given a level of respect for making efforts to bring a level of responsibility to the manufacture of its shoes, we would like to see this same approach applied to all of its products.
Rather than just enabling one type of shoes to be remade as part of a circular economy, it would be revolutionary if all of its shoes offered the same experience. Let’s hope this is the way of the future, and that Adidas is leading the charge.
Author: Jonny Tiernan
Source:Â Clean Technica
