After presenting a prototype last year, this shoe, made from 95% recycled plastic, will be available this week.

This Tuesday, November 15, the 3 stripes brand, in collaboration with Parley for the Oceans, an organization that brings scientists, artists and citizens together to work on projects aimed at cleaning up the oceans and preserving marine life, will be launching its Adidas Ultraboost Uncaged Parley: a sustainable shoe made from 95% recycled fishing nets and 5% polyester. The fishing nets were retrieved and recycled off the coast of the Maldives by Parley for the Oceans: the amount of recycled plastic in each pair of shoe is equivalent to 11 plastic water bottles.

The Adidas Ultraboost Uncaged Parley is a sustainable shoe made from 95% recycled fishing nets

“Our priority is to develop new technologies that will allow us to use more sustainable materials for our products. Climate change is a reality and our industry needs to find solutions,” explained Herbert Hainer, chairman of the executive board of Adidas. This is the same sentiment that was expressed in his most recent sustainability strategy released earlier this year.  

This shoe is the result of more than a year of work between the organizations, who are hopeful that this partnership will inspire others of a similar nature. “Nobody can save the oceans alone. Individuals are doing their part, but it’s important for big businesses to step up as well. The Adidas example will be a turning point for the textile industry, leading to a rethinking of current business models, which for the most part tend to produce a great deal of pollution,” stated Cyrill Gutsch, founder of Parley for the Oceans.

Adidas also unveiled a limited series of soccer jerseys also made from plastic recovered

The initial concept was to make these shoes using 3D printing, but Adidas eventually dropped the idea due to mass production complications. While 7,000 pairs of the new recycled shoe have already been made, 1 million should be ready by the end of 2017, making these shoes the first mass market product of its type to be developed on such a scale. “Our ultimate goal is to use only recycled plastic for most of our products,” explained Eric Liedtke, executive board member of Adidas, responsible for Global Brands.

In conjunction with this announcement, Adidas also unveiled a limited series of jerseys for Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, two of the biggest soccer clubs in the world, also made from plastic recovered in collaboration with Parley for the Oceans.