Adidas to Launch New Fabrics from Recycled Ocean Plastic and Polyester

Adidas will launch new fabrics made from recycled polyester and marine plastic waste and expand the product lines that use them after the success of shoes made with the Parley for the Oceans initiative. Adidas first teamed up with Parley in 2015 and gradually ramped up production of shoes using plastic collected on beaches and coastal regions to make more than 11 million pairs in 2019, still only a fraction of a group total of more than 400 million. Since 2012, Adidas has innovated new products and processes with sustainability-focused partners like Parley for the Oceans, Stella McCartney and the U.S. International Space Station.

This year Addidas will launch PRIMEBLUE and PRIME GREEN performance fabrics, two new sustainable technologies where 100% of the polyester used is recycled. PRIMEBLUE, a performance fabric that contains Parley Ocean Plastic, is now included in some of the brand’s most iconic and visible performance products like Ultraboost shoes and in the uniforms of some of the biggest leagues and teams in the world.  In total, the German firm will produce 15-20 million pairs of shoes using ocean plastic in 2020.

PRIME GREEN, a performance fabric that contains no virgin plastic, will be available later this year and will also be featured in key competitive products. Adidas wants more than half of the polyester it uses to be recycled in 2020, ramping up to 100 percent by 2024. Both performance fabrics will play a significant role in Adidas reaching more than 50% total volume of recycled polyester at the end of 2020 and its commitment to END PLASTIC WASTE. Nike uses recycled polyester yarn for the uppers of its popular Flyknit shoes, saying that it has helped it divert more than 4 billion plastic bottles from landfills.