Adidas launches 3D shoe made from recycled ocean trash

Triathletes who run in Adidas may be interested in the footwear and apparel giant’s newest 3D-printed shoe in partnership with Parley for the Oceans made from plastics and ocean trash.

The shoe’s upper is made of recycled ocean plastic content with the 3D-printed midsole made from recycled polyester and gillnets. The model, a prototype, was unveiled at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris on Dec. 8.

The latest Adidas innovation comes less than a year after the sporting goods company announced it had designed a shoe with an upper made entirely of fishing nets.

Eric Liedtke, adidas Group Executive Board member, added:

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 of what we create.

Parley for the Oceans, Adidas’ partner in the new 3D-printed design, is an organization seeking to end ocean plastic pollution, namely with the rise of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Adidas is a founding member of the organization.