This certainly gives new meaning to the idea "reduce, reuse, recycle": Adidas has created a 3D-printed pair of sneakers made almost entirely from junk chucked into the ocean.
The trainers were presented and exhibited at the Parley Talks at COP21 in Paris on Dec. 8 in collaboration with Parley for the Oceans, a nonprofit dedicated to cleaning up our oceanic waters. Instead of typical resin, the sneaker is a prototype 3D-printed with materials derived from "ocean plastic content," and the midsoles from gillnets and recycled polyester.
The design for the shoe in the first place took a cue from the UN's official plan for sustainable development.
"Protecting life underwater became the 14th development goal of the United Nations," said Parley founder Cyrill Gutsch in an official press statement released by the nonprofit. "Therefore, Parley in Paris is all about updating knowledge, sharing visions, fine-tuning strategies, creating concepts and forging collaborations in order to kickstart change."
The UN's 14th development goal comes from the idea that "careful management of [water, an] essential global resource[,] is a key feature of a sustainable future," according to the global organization's website. Considering that water accounts for 99 percent of the Earth's living space per volume and that market value of marine and coastal resources and industries accounts for $3 trillion per year, Parley's concern and quest for its preservation is understandable.
"We are really excited to have Adidas supporting us in this journey and showing how you can take concrete steps in the right direction," added Gutsch.
The design for Adidas' recycled footwear is a riff off of the European shoe manufacturer's Futurecraft 3D midsole, which was revealed earlier this year in October. Their Futurecraft series, in which its latest ocean materials-made shoe is an entry, is a "forward-looking initiative that places open source collaboration and craftsmanship at the heart of design to drive innovation across all elements of production," according to the shoe company.
Check out some images of the prototype below.
Via: The Verge
