Adidas sold 1 million shoes made from Ocean plastic in 2017

Turning the tide on pollution… Adidas sold over 1 million shoes made from ocean waste, plastic and retrieved gill-nets in 2017.

As world leaders came together to adopt a historic agreement to curb global warming in 2015, some industries were working toward environmentally friendly endeavors one step at a time.

Adidas created a 3-D-printed athletic shoe that year, which is partially made from plastic found in the ocean. It also used recycled polyester and illegal deep-sea gillnets, known to harm marine life.

Partnering with New York–based Parley for the Oceans, an initiative aimed at clearing oceans of plastic waste, the sporting goods company announced plans to begin collecting waste for the shoes back in April and debuted the shoes to coincide with the Paris climate summit later that year.

“World leaders forging an agreement is wonderful, but we shouldn’t need to be told to do the right thing,” Eric Liedtke, Adidas Group executive board member responsible for global brands, said in a statement. “We want to bring everyone from the industry to the table and create sustainable solutions for big global problems.”

And in just 2 years, the concept became a real product which sold over 1 million units last year.

During a TV interview with CNBC on Wednesday, Adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted said “we last year sold 1 million shoes made out of ocean plastic.”

Adidas currently offers three types of Ultraboost shoes, made using plastic “intercepted from beaches and coastal communities before it reaches the ocean”, according to its website.

It’s estimated that each shoe reuses 11 plastic bottles.

Between 10.5 billion and 28 billion tons of plastic were released into the oceans in 2010, according to a study released in February. Not only does that debris harm birds, turtles, and fish, but—between cleanup costs and pollution’s negative impact on tourism and human health—it also end up costing about $13 billion a year.

Adidas executives hope their recycling project educates consumers while at the same time creating a sustainable product.

Some experts were concerned that incorporating plastic into a shoe could be counterproductive. Harmful microfibers in shoes could shed in washing machines and eventually wind up back in the oceans.

But Adidas officials note that gathering ocean plastic is just one part of their plans for becoming environmentally friendly. The company has already begun phasing out the use of plastic bags in its retail stores and is working to eliminate the use of microbeads in its body care line.