Adidas Plans to Only Use Recycled Plastics by 2024

By Edward Leano, Christian Post Contributor Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Adidas has joined a growing trend to reduce plastic waste, with the global sportswear giant announcing its commitment to using only recycled plastics in its products by 2024. Adidas has also announced that it will be using recycled plastics in their facilities and offices in about six years.

The company will not only be phasing out the use of "virgin" plastic in its shoes, sportswear and sports product, Adidas has also announced that it will be using recycled plastics exclusively in its retail shops, warehouses, distribution facilities and offices, according to CNN.

Aside from the obvious application of recycled plastics in its shoes and sneakers, Adidas will also be doing away with the use of "virgin" polyester in its sportswear products, which ranges from shirts and sports bras to headbands and accessories, as the Financial Times reported.

Polyester is a popular component due to its light weight and excellent drying properties. This move from Adidas, when fully implemented starting this 2018, will save waterways and oceans from an estimated 40 tons of plastic per year.

By 2019, the company estimates that its line of apparels for the spring and summer of next year will be made up of 41 percent recycled polyester. Adidas has also reported a surge in popularity of its Parley shoes, a line of footwear made with the recycled products from plastic waste gathered in waterways.

The move away from "virgin" polyester will cost Adidas in the short term. According to Engadget, recycled polyester can be up to 20 percent more expensive, and there might not be enough of it to keep the product lines of a company as large as Adidas adequately supplied.

For now, the company will be making "right-sized bites" out of its plastics allocation, hopefully achieving its target by 2024 just in time for better recycling techniques to make the switch worth it.