Adidas is planning to use only recycled polyester in all its shoes and clothing within the next six years in a push to increase the sustainability of its supply chain. The shift would see the world’s second largest sportswear brand, which launched the first mass-produced running shoe made from recycled water bottles in 2016, target 5 million in sales of recycled footwear this year and 11 million in 2019. “Our goal is to get rid of virgin polyester overall by 2024,” said Eric Liedtke, Head of Adidas’ global brands. He said about 50 percent of the material used in the 920 million individual items Adidas sells is polyester, adding: “With those kind of volumes, we cannot make the transition overnight.” Adidas’s move comes as more brands embrace recycled materials, in part to burnish their green credentials and increase their appeal as an anti-plastics movement has swept across the UK and Europe.

Posted by

Financial Times