source: designmilk ; CC license
Ocean waste is becoming a growing concern as each passing year brings about tonnes of new waste, killing hundreds of thousands sea birds and mammals. Marine ecology is heavily under siege from careless end consumers and heavy-weight manufacturing facilities alike. With the ever-so-struggling marine life, we can expect major shifts sea plant saturation and also mainland ecology effects. Not all are causing harm though. Some are even trying to help out by taking measures to reverse those negative tendencies and remove waste from the oceans or at the very least, to make first steps towards that goal and maybe inspire others to follow. Adidas recently announced their first sneaker made from reclaimed ocean plastic.
That’s right, it is no joke.
The German manufacturing giant is going to partner up with Parley for the oceans in an attempt to begin producing sportswear from, basically, ocean trash. This idea is also aiming to raise awareness to the general public regarding the threats of ocean pollution and that there are ways to fight it while at the same time creating something useful and cool. Cnet.com cited Gutsch, the founder of Parley for the oceans when he explained the purpose of his company – to put oceans at the very core of climate change debate. Adidas themselves seem to dig the idea hard.
In part, the new sneaker line will be made from recycled plastic and fisherman nets and there is an interesting story behind that as well. A partner organization to the Parley for the oceans, Sea Shepherd has managed to track down an illegal poacher vessel for the whole of 110 day expedition until finally the poachers were caught up with near the coast of West Africa. This merely demonstrates the dedication and lengths these organizations are willing to go to in the name of cleaner, sustainable oceans.
Dezeen.com had an interview with British designer Alexander Taylor and the latter pointed out repurposing of ocean waste is to be nurtured and encouraged, hence the steps undertaken by Adidas.
“This way there is no reason why materials with similar characteristics to those that we use every day with conventional production processes cannot be simply replaced by ocean plastic materials,” Taylor told Dezeen.
One can clearly see the direction Adidas is trying to take. Basically, to lead the way towards more sustainable living and sportswear production. Other big brands should take not of Adidas’ actions and try to catch up because going green is the way to go in the 21st century if a company wants to remain profitable on the market.
Adidas is clearly leading by example here showing other major corporations how businesses can actively contribute to improve the degrading marine situation. Removing nets and plastic waste from the oceans and using them to manufacture sportswear is a great example how to turn trash into treasure. Moreover, environmentally conscious people will be more than willing to purchase and wear those products simply because of the match of ideas. This way, we have a win-win-win situation with Adidas scoring higher profits due to no need of purchasing fabrics and additional profits from selling the new line. People on the other hand receive a quality product at competitive (we hope) prices. Nature receives less waste.
Great idea. Hope you found it useful and inspiring just as much as we did.
Image source: www.flickr.com
