When Adidas presented a new model of running shoes made out of ocean plastic last year, it felt more like a marketing gimmick rather than an actual attempt at addressing the problem of waste in the fashion industry. This time around, Adidas has introduced a new sneaker that could actually revolutionize footwear and reduce tons of waste. Named the Futurecraft. Loop, it’s a performance running shoe that can be 100 percent ground up and melted back into raw materials for a brand-new shoe—without any waste. The current issue with trying to recycle running shoes is that they are made of more than a dozen different components that can’t easily be taken apart, broken down, and reused. Adidas’s innovation was to make its shoe entirely from one variety of plastic. The knit upper, the spongy midsole, the durable outsole, and even the laces are all plastic. The whole shoe can be washed, ground into pellets, and melted back into raw material. Sure, you might cringe at the idea of a shoe being made entirely out of plastic, but the reality is that it’s comparatively easy to recycle when compared to other materials. It’s a shoe that was “made to be remade,” and it could just inspire more apparel companies in search of sustainable solutions to follow in Adidas’ footsteps.
New Adidas sneaker can be recycled into a new sneaker—without any waste
More of Today's Solutions
From molten salt to liquid air: clean energy’s weird storage revolution
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM There’s something strange about where the clean energy transition has gotten stuck. Generating power from the sun and ...
Read MoreSoft decluttering: the low-pressure method for a tidier home
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM You know the feeling: you walk toward the hall closet with good intentions, reach for the handle, and ...
Read More5 expert-recommended ways to cope with holiday stress
Financial strain, social pressure, and countless to-dos make the period between Thanksgiving and New Year's the most stressful time of year, according to numerous ...
Read MoreOslo’s quiet revolution: how electric construction sites are changing the game
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Imagine walking past a bustling construction site and hearing… almost nothing. In Oslo, that’s becoming the new normal. ...
Read More
