First of all I nerd-ed out as soon as three was news about the sneakers maybe a year ago. Being someone who lives on the ocean and feels a special connection to it, I got joy out of a large company working to make a difference.
http://www.adidas.com/us/parleyThe sneakers are made out of 11 plastic bottles to create the silhouette and 95% of them are composed of Parley Ocean Plastic.Parley is a group that focuses on marine conservation through the choices of consumers. They believe that the consumer drives the market and if they opt for sustainable products, the market will adhere to them. Parley actually helped collect the materials through their A.I.R. philosophy. Avoid, Intercept, Redesign.
Definitely go check out their website. There is some stunning footage on there: http://www.parley.tv/#fortheoceans
http://www.konbini.com/us/lifestyle/adidas-ready-release-ocean-plastic-sneakers/Adidas is also working on soccer jerseys made out of recycled materials for teams such as Real Madrid and Bayren Munich.
I live on the ocean so I experience this pollution first hand. People leave garbage all over the beach as if it is a trash can. Yet, for those close to it, the ocean is a sacred space. And if that is not convincing enough ponder this: fish eat garbage and then we eat the fish. We are eating our own waste. Horribly enough, there are animals dying and suffocating on the plastic in the ocean.
Often, sea turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfish. Sea birds have been found with plastic in there stomachs long after they have been deceased.
It really warms my heart that Adidas and Parley understand that economic success does not have to hinder sustainability. This is our home. Every time you dump plastic in the ocean you are hurting yourself and everyone else around you.#action=share