These new Adidas trainers are made entirely from up-cycled ocean plastic
Soon there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans, but hopefully up-cycling ocean plastic can reverse that trend and that'll be good news for everyone.
Key takeaways
- By 2050 it's estimated that there will be more plastic than fish in the sea, and that means one of two things - either there's going to be a heck of a lot of plastic in the oceans or fish stocks are going to bomb.
- Over the next few months Adidas will be making 7,000 pairs available, recycling at least eleven million plastic bottles worth of material from the oceans which will be collected by the Parley Global Clean-up Network.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2017) 'These new Adidas trainers are made entirely from up-cycled ocean plastic', 311 Institute, 17 February. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/these-adidas-trainers-are-made-entirely-from-up-cycled-ocean-plastic/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
By 2050 it's estimated that there will be more plastic than fish in the sea, and that means one of two things - either there's going to be a heck of a lot of plastic in the oceans or fish stocks are going to bomb. I'll take the former. Now, hoping to reverse that trend Adidas has released the UltraBOOST Uncaged Parley running shoe - the first mass produced sneaker created using plastic waste that, in this case, has been retrieved from the oceans around the Maldives.
The shoes, which were created using a slew of new manufacturing technologies that were specifically re-engineered to help up-cycle marine plastic debris into fibres are made up from the equivalent of eleven plastic bottles worth of material and were designed and inspired by ocean waves - to reflect the shoe’s unique story and Adidas and environmental group Parley for the Oceans’ commitment to end the cycle of pollution in the oceans.
Over the next few months Adidas will be making 7,000 pairs available, recycling at least eleven million plastic bottles worth of material from the oceans which will be collected by the Parley Global Clean-up Network. But Adidas don't want to stop there - they have aspirations to sell over a million of the sneakers in 2017.
“This represents another step on the journey of Adidas and Parley for the Oceans. But we won’t stop there. We’re now committed to scaling those initiatives. We will make one million pairs of shoes using Parley Ocean Plastic in 2017 – and our ultimate ambition is to eliminate virgin plastic from our supply chain,” said Eric Liedtke, Adidas Group Executive and board member responsible for Global Brands.
“Nobody can save the oceans alone,” said Cyrill Gutsch, Founder, Parley for the Oceans, "each of us can play a role in the solution. It’s in the hands of the creative industries to reinvent faulty materials, products, and business models. The consumer can boost the demand for change. But it’s up to eco innovation leaders, like Adidas, to make change a reality. With this shoe we demonstrate what’s possible.”
Adidas and Parley for the Oceans have also unveiled football jerseys for Bayern Munich and Real Madrid made from recycled ocean plastic, and if all that's anything to go by it might be the start of a whole new line.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
Soon there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans, but hopefully up-cycling ocean plastic can reverse that trend and that'll be good news for everyone.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
Read full bio
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- Parley for the Oceans’ parley.tv
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 17 February 2017. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2017). These new Adidas trainers are made entirely from up-cycled ocean plastic. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/these-adidas-trainers-are-made-entirely-from-up-cycled-ocean-plastic/
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