A true brand philosophy or a simple trend against plastic? Adidas case and its goal to use 100% recycled plastic

Image: Adidas

In recent months we have heard a lot about a crossroads in favor of l & # 39; stopping the use of plastic straw in Europe and some US cities to which many brands have adhered, one of them is Adidas, although she plans to go a little further.

The truth is that plastic contamination has become a serious problem to be one the most harmful elements to the oceans and, although the global campaign to eliminate the use of plastic straws is important, the reality indicates that it is a start, but there is still plenty to do.

And, is the waste of this type of material currently one of the main pollutants in the world, especially the seas? and a study by the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), USA, mentions this, yes no action is taken, by 2050, the volume of waste plastics could exceed that of fish.

So, does this mean that commercials made by brands like McDonald's, Starbucks, Boing, American Airlines, Hyatt, or Bacardí, are poor?

According to the United Nations, humans have produced about 8,300 million tons of plastic since the 1950s and this figure is expected to increase another 34 billion tons in 2050.

Certainly not, any help and action taken to reduce Pollution on the planet is welcome. However, must be understood that many of them are marketing initiatives, not philosophies that are part of the brands DNA.

That same week Adidas emphasized that its commitment is that by 2024 they will stop using virgin plastic to replace it with recyclable materials in manufacturing of all their products: shoes, sportswear and accessories.

But their initiative goes further, because according to a report Financial Times, the German firm will apply this policy also in its offices, retail stores, warehouses and distribution centers.

We know that brands are often added with campaigns or marketing actions position them as environmentally friendly but it often happens that they have few Impact on value. It may be why they realized that the only way to connect with the consumer is to really drive changes in their organizations, processes and products.

In this boom against plastic straws, we saw a lot of actions that apparently seek to join the trend and, although there are initiatives such as the collaboration between McDonald's and Starbucks to make a progressive substitution of their inputs for more ecological, the truth is

The data of GFK reveal that up to 39 76% of consumers expect brands to have an environmental commitment while 28% say that brands have a moral obligation to be responsible and sustainable with the brand. ;environment.

Certainly, Adidas does it, and this is not new Well, although the announcement does so in a cyclical context such as the one who lives with the straws, c & rsquo; Is a brand that has been working with such actions for some time.

And, we say that she is changing her business model. because he has seriously bet to include new products with environmentally friendly materials, only the collaboration that he has with the Parley for the Oceans organization. has already resulted in the sale of more than a million sneakers made with

But, this is not the only action, has implemented this trend for several years with the MLS during the manufacture of recycled plastic jerseys for the American League Star Game Your announcement to completely change your supplies for the recycled material will really have an impact on your business model and of production.