Adidas ups commitment to rid ocean of plastic with 3D printed midsole concept
Following on from a shoe upper concept made with yarns sourced from recycled ocean plastic, Adidas has launched a 3D printed midsole and has given sportstextiles.com further details on the partnership with Parley for the Oceans.
The shoe is not suitable for use as it’s not cushiony enough, but is said to be an indication of things to come.
"We don’t know how to scale up this process [3D printing], but we have to keep working on it," said Eric Liedtke, head of global brands at Adidas.
The midsole is 3D printed using recycled polyester and gill net content. It is made from a 72 km long fishing net obtained from a "pirate" fishing vessel that the Sea Shepherd ship chased for 200km.
“World leaders forging an agreement is wonderful, but we shouldn’t need to be told to do the right thing. The industry can't afford to wait for directions any longer. 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 to be of what we create,” said Mr Liedtke.
He told sportstextiles that Taiwan-based supplier Far Eastern New Century is making the polyester with recycled ocean plastic. It uses plastic collected on beaches and within a mile of the coast as plastic further out is too degraded to be reused. Beach plastic is similar to other post-consumer bottles, he said.
Adidas sustainability director Alexis Olans Haass added that recycled polyester is no longer of inferior quality to virgin polyester, and the German company is "steadily increasing recycled content”.
She said more research and innovation is needed to find uses for the highly degraded ocean plastics. These lack homogeneity and therefore can’t be used for fibre but might be able to find uses in other markets or products, such as for fixtures and furniture in Adidas stores.
The company has vowed to remove plastic beads from its shower gels by December 31 and to eliminate all plastic bags in its retail operations in April 2016.
