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from the turning-a-problem-into-a-resource dept.
Quartz reports
For more than a year, Adidas has been teasing the release of a shoe made almost entirely from discarded plastic, fished out of the oceans. It revealed its first prototype of the sustainable sneaker, created in collaboration with environmental organization Parley for the Oceans, in June 2015. Finally, in mid-November, the first mass-produced quantity--7,000 pairs, to be exact--will go on sale and, according to Adidas, that's just the start.
"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", Eric Liedtke, an Adidas executive board member responsible for global brands, said in a Nov. 4 statement.[1]
The initial batch of sneakers, called the UltraBoost Uncaged Parley, will be made of 95% plastic debris, such as bottles and packaging, that has been reprocessed into a new textile. Parley captured the litter in the coastal areas of the Maldives. The remaining 5% of the sneaker is recycled polyester, and the laces, heel lining, and other parts are made of recycled materials as well. The sneakers also feature Adidas' popular Boost sole.
[...] The companies also created jerseys from the reclaimed plastic for soccer clubs Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
[1] All content is behind scripts.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 10 2016, @05:03PM
A large portion of plastics are recycled soon after their primary use is over. Does photodecay from sitting in the ocean for years affect the long-term stability of the final product?
The prototype has only been around for a year now, which doesn't give a lot of useful data here.
Also who the hell came up with that name?
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 10 2016, @05:11PM
Also who the hell came up with that name?
The first choice, "Parley Voo Francez" was already taken.
(Score: 2) by Bot on Thursday November 10 2016, @06:20PM
I have bad news for you, apparently one year is the target shelf life for new shoes.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by t-3 on Thursday November 10 2016, @07:55PM
This is why I only buy all-leather shoes. Plastic POS shoes just fall apart after a short time.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday November 10 2016, @06:30PM
> Also who the hell came up with that name?
The 8-year-old whose side-job was writing someone's campaign speeches.
(Score: 2) by kazzie on Thursday November 10 2016, @08:27PM
"UltraBoost Uncaged Parley" clearly means these shoes are designed to be used when sprinting out of a cage while carrying a black flag.
(Score: 2) by Joe Desertrat on Friday November 11 2016, @11:58AM
Does photodecay from sitting in the ocean for years affect the long-term stability of the final product?
I'm not sure the plastic molecules themselves ever deteriorate. I think the plastic just breaks into smaller and smaller pieces.