Did you know that just 11 plastic bottles can be recycled and created into a pair of running shoes?
And could you believe Adidas is creating these types of shoes?
Purchasing shoes made from disposed plastics may be the first of many types of clothing we dawn that are made from plastic.
Adidas first paired up with the environmental group, Parely for the Oceans, in 2015 for an idea that would change the footwear game.
“Parley Ocean Plastic™ which is made from recycled waste, intercepted from beaches and coastal communities before it reaches the ocean.” according to the Adidas site.
Cyrill Gutsch, Parley founder, was happy to find that Adidas was ready to join in after his organization birthed the idea of creating apparel from recycled plastic bottles back in 2012.
Adidas additionally pledged in 2016 to stop using plastic bags in its 2,900 retail stores around the globe.
In doing this, they aim to save 70 million plastic shopping bags by switching to paper bags in its stores.
And only a few years later in 2017, close to 5.5 million plastic bottles were used to create 1 million UltraBoost runners in three different versions Adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted shared with CNBC.
The goal is to produce 7 million pairs of shoes this year in 2019 according to Eric Liedtke, Adidas executive board member in a press release.
“After one million pairs of shoes produced in 2017, five million in 2018, we plan to produce eleven million pairs of shoes containing recycled ocean plastic in 2019.”
Customer reviews have been fairly positive in regards to the light, fashionable and durable design.
There are only a few draw backs — one of them including the hefty price tag along with a narrow fit.
The brand wants to contribute in their own way to help make a difference when it comes to decreasing the amount of plastic in our oceans.
“With adidas products made from recycled plastic, we offer our consumers real added value beyond the look, functionality and quality of the product,” Liedtke said.
Along with footwear, “the company also produces apparel from the recycled material, such as the Champions League jersey for FC Bayern Munich and Alexander Zverev’s outfit for the Australian Open,” the press release states.
Plastics are dumped into our oceans at the rate of one truckload per minute according to the World Economic Forum.
And worldwide in 2016, over 480 billion plastic bottles were sold, which has dramatically effected marine life.
A few countries like Scotland, Taiwan, as well as Kenya have enforced a plastic ban over the past few years to help reduce plastic consumption, according to Global Citizen.
It has been alleged that close to 500 million plastic straws have been used and discarded every day in America alone.
“Today there is no excuse for any company to use new, virgin plastic,” Cyrill Gutsch, Parley founder, shared with Fairfax.
“We have proven consumers are willing to pay a little more money and … prefer products made from ‘ocean plastic’ than other recycled plastics or new plastics.”
Adidas plans to have all of their shoes made with recycled plastic by the year 2020.
NOW WATCH: Sweden Actually Turns It’s Garbage Into Energy | Save The World