96 percent of the polyester used for Adidas products is recycled, the sports goods manufacturer from Herzogenaurach announced on Friday. The company could achieve its goal formulated in 2017 of replacing all polyester with a recycled variant by 2024 earlier than originally thought.
The brand has been working to reduce polyester consumption since 2015. Back then, the brand introduced its first high-performance shoe made from recycled polyester and gradually began to reduce the use of the material. In 2021, the goal of not using pure polyester was already 90 percent met, saving a total of 390,000 tons of CO2, according to the release. This change was made possible by the development of new technical solutions that did not exist before, according to the people from Herzogenaurach.
It is a step in the right direction, says Viviane Gut, Senior Director of Sustainability at Adidas, confirming the current development and the commitment that the sports goods manufacturer made in 2017. Nonetheless, to celebrate the stage win, Adidas released a short film starring British track and field athlete Jazmin Sawyers, underscoring the brand’s pride in its progress and determination to continue to drive change.
“But while we’re proud of it, this is a step, not a solution. There is much more we want and need to achieve so that we can become more of a part of the solution than of the problem,” said the Sustainability Director. “We are as motivated as ever to continue to innovate and collaborate to create new opportunities,” said the Sustainability Director.”