Recycled Ocean Waste: Adidas, Parley Design Shoe From Garbage

Plastic has indeed become a part of our lives. So many of us are probably wondering how it gets into the ocean.

You might cringe when you learn that thousands of sea creatures die every year--from fish and sea birds to marine mammals--when they're caught in garbage that's dumped into the waters. In fact, 2006 statistics from UNESCO estimate that 46,000 pieces of plastic were floating around every square mile of ocean (just let that literally sink in for a second.)

Adidas, a German sportswear brand, is now working in collaboration with Parley for the Oceans, to create the world's first shoe from recycled ocean waste and deep-sea gillnets.

"We are incredibly excited to join Parley for the Oceans as they bring the cause of the oceans to the attention of the United Nations," said Cyrill Gutsch, founder of Parley. "Adidas has long been a leader in sustainability, but this partnership allows us to tap into new areas and create innovative materials and products for our athletes. We invite everyone to join us on this journey to clean up the oceans."

Just last week, an event that was hosted by the United Nations revealed the project via Adidas' Eric Liedtke and Parley for the Oceans' Cyrill Gutsch. The makers showed a sample shoe with the upper design made entirely from reclaimed and recycled materials from ocean waste and illegal deep-sea gillnets

All of the plastic used for the prototype shoe was obtained after a 110-day expedition tracking an illegal poaching vessel, which culminated off the coast of west Africa. The company will also be releasing other ocean plastic products later in the year, according to Silicon Republic, as well as phasing out plastic bags in all of their retail Adidas' stores.

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