Sportswear brand adidas has surprised customers with the soft launch of its first-ever fully recyclable running shoe, the UltraBOOST DNA LOOP.
The sustainable footwear is part of adidas’ “Made to be Remade” project, which seeks to address environmental concerns like plastic waste through the implementation of eco-friendly practices, such as using recycled materials or circular manufacturing models.
Specifically, adidas wants to create products out of raw materials that can be recycled and then repurposed. However, they don’t want the products to be repurposed into minor items like water bottles or tote bags. Rather, they are seeking to upcycle items like sneakers into other high-performance products when they reach the end of their life. That is where the UltraBOOST DNA LOOP comes in.
In an effort to be fully and easily recyclable, the UltraBOOST DNA LOOP has been created out of one single material and features no glue whatsoever. Every single component of the shoe, from the upper to the insole, is made from 100% reusable TPU, which has been spun into yarn, knitted, moulded, and clean fused.
The expectation with the UltraBOOST DNA LOOP is that when they reach the end of their first life, the consumer will send them back to adidas, where the brand will take on the onus of repurposing them. They have even outlined the process, which includes washing the shoes, grinding them into pellets, and then melting the pellets into material components that can be used to create a new pair of shoes.
This eco-friendly shoe was first debuted during adidas’ new Creators Club Week digital festival that took place earlier this week. During the festival, it was announced that they will be inviting 1,500 members of the adidas Creative Club to beta test the UltraBOOST DNA LOOP for them. Each member will receive a pair for free and is to be part of a “sustainability micro community.” Over the course of 21 weeks, the selected community will provide their actions and feedback on the shoes via adidas’ app.
Becoming an adidas Creators Club member is currently free, however, in order to be eligible for the beta test, you must prove your sustainability credentials by taking an online quiz. Those that complete the quiz will be entered into a raffle and randomly selected to take part in this unique experience. By agreeing to take part in the experiment, each member will be required to return the shoes so that they can be grounded, melted, and repurposed into something new.
adidas hopes that this will be the last testing phase for the UltraBOOST DNA LOOP before releasing to the broader public. These shoes have been years in the marking, with the first closed trial process occurring back in April 2019.
All images in this article are courtesy of adidas.
