ADIDAS USES PLASTIC OCEAN WASTE TO CREATE A 3D-PRINTED SHOE
by Doris Baus
Climate change is not the only threat to our environment. There is also the continuing issue of garbage. A study conducted at the beginning of 2015 found that about eight million tones of plastic are dumped into the ocean each year, much of which breaks down into smaller pieces that threaten the entire ocean ecosystem. Coinciding with the Paris climate change agreement, sporting goods giant adidas has shown off its new sneakers. Adidas and Parley for the Oceans, an organization dedicated to reducing plastic waste in oceans, have collaborated to create a 3D-printed shoe made out of recycled ocean plastic. The design hopes to bring awareness to ocean pollution.
According to Adidas, the shoe is just a prototype, but the goal is to demonstrate how the industry can “rethink design and help stop ocean plastic pollution”. The prototype has an “upper” made of ocean plastic and a 3D-printed midsole of recycled polyester and gillnets — a type of fishing net. The design of the shoe is based on the Adidas Futurecraft 3D, a 3D-printed shoe meant to show a potential future of on-demand shoe customization. Through this activism, Parley for the Oceans hopes to use high-profile projects like this to draw attention to the detrimental effects that humanity is having on the world’s marine environments.
Plastic is mostly not biodegradable. If it gets into the ocean, it will remain there for an extremely long time. It can take up to 20 years for plastic bags to decompose, whereas a plastic beverage bottle takes up to 450 years. Therefore, Adidas has promised to take other steps to reduce plastic pollution, like phasing out the use of plastic bags in its retail stores and removing plastic microbeads from their shower gel and other body care products. They claim these goals will be achieved by the end of March, 2016.
“The industry can’t afford to wait for directions any longer,” Adidas executive Eric Liedtke stated in a press release. “Together with the network of Parley for the Oceans, we have started taking action and creating new sustainable materials and innovations for athletes. The 3D-printed ocean plastic shoe midsole stands for how we can set new industry standards if we start questioning the reason of what we create. We want to bring everyone from the industry to the table and create sustainable solutions for big global problems.”
It is very important that fashion brands began manufacturing items in a more sustainable way. With its innovative design, Adidas draws more attention on and highlights sustainable fashion, encouraging other brands to manufacture in ways that will be beneficial for the planet. Thus, more brands should look up to Adidas and other companies who try to pursue the same goal. These brands should manage their production to correspond to directions of sustainability.
by Doris Baus
