Adidas unveils running shoes that should never be thrown

Futurecraft Loop performance running shoes can be returned to Adidas, where they will be ground to make more, again and again.

So recycling is a mess. The manufacturers have sold us on the idea that it is the responsibility of the consumer to recycle the product of the manufacturer, thereby relieving the manufacturer of any liability for the waste generated by its products. In the meantime, despite the fact that many of us do their best to meet our part of the contract, recycling is complicated – and in the end, only 91% of the plastic, for example, is recycled.

Given the almost eternal durability of plastic, it's no wonder we literally found it everywhere on the planet. And we continue to make new plastic at a prodigious pace – National Geographic notes that "if current trends continue, by 2050 there will be 12 billion tons of plastic in landfills."

As consumers, we can stop using products that are made and packaged in plastic, but manufacturers have to solve the problem from top to top – the time has come.

Which brings us to Adidas.

I was invited to unveiling the company's new revolutionary running shoe, the Futurecraft Loop – and to be honest, I was a little skeptical. Sold as a 100% recyclable shoe … well, we've heard such claims before (hello Starbucks, hello Keurig).

But I must say that I am impressed. Yes, the mystical / futuristic Brooklyn Navy Yard event, accompanied by a fog machine and Willow Smith (Adidas partner on the project), left me with stars in my eyes – but I left excited about the future of the film. Futurecraft loop.

© Adidas | Willow Smith and Adidas have teamed up for the fully recyclable shoe.

Adidas is no stranger to innovations in sustainable development. In 2015, the company partnered with Parley for the Oceans to create shoes whose entire stem was made up of yarns and filaments recovered and recycled from marine plastic waste and illegal gill nets for high-altitude fishing. This year, they will produce 11 million pairs of these wonderfully 'trashy' shoes by intercepting plastic waste on beaches, remote islands and coastal communities.

Eric Liedtke, member of the Adidas board and head of Global Brands, said at the Futurecraft Loop event that an "army of innovators" was working on the new footwear for more than six years – and described the challenge it posed. . After all, these are performance shoes that have many parts that should serve the best sportsman / user.

What has made shoe recycling difficult – and most things – is that the various materials in an article must be separated before recycling. How did Adidas solve this problem? They discovered how to make the shoe with a single material (100% reusable TPU) – and it is built without using adhesive or other chemicals. The TPU is spun, knitted, molded and fused to a midsole.

Once the user has finished his shoes, these are returned to Adidas, where they are washed, ground into pellets and melted to form components for a new pair of shoes, with zero waste and nothing thrown away.

© Melissa Breyer | Design process

"Futurecraft Loop is our first race shoe to be made to be redone," said Liedtke. "It's a statement of our intention to take responsibility for the entire life of our product – proof that we can manufacture high performance running shoes that you will not have to throw away."

Liedtke also said that his goal was to use only recycled polyester in all its products by 2024.

"The first step is to eliminate plastic waste from the system, but we can not stop there," said Liedtke. "What happens to your shoes after you have worn them out? You throw them away – except that there is none. There are only landfills and incinerators and finally an atmosphere saturated with excess carbon or oceans filled with plastic waste. The next step is to end the concept of "waste". Our dream is that you can continue wearing the same shoes over and over again.

For now, the first generation of Futurecraft Loop was launched as part of a "global beta program bringing together 200 major creators from major cities around the world," to try fitting out. It was the part of the event where 200 pairs of sneakers magically appeared – I wondered why they wanted my shoe size in advance.

© Melissa Breyer

Now, those of us who will be wearing the shoes will put them to the test before sending them back with comments before the second generation fall. The goal is the spring-summer of 2021. In the meantime, I intend to test the mine thoroughly … and find comfort in the fact that it will be just one of the many lives they lead. Stay tuned for more …

More at Adidas.