adidas
adidas 
The sporting goods producer adidas AG, Herzogenaurach/Germany, strengthens its commitment to tackling plastic waste with the unveiling of Futurecraft.Loop - a 100% recyclable performance running shoe.
The Futurecraft.Loop project is aimed at tackling the problem of plastic waste, enabling a “closed loop” or circular manufacturing model, where the raw materials can be repurposed again and again. Here, it is not just repurposed into a water bottle or a tote, but into another pair of high-performance running shoes.
Sports footwear typically includes complex material mixes and component gluing - resulting in a shoe which can only be down-cycled. After close to a decade of research and development alongside leading material development, manufacturing and recycling partners across Asia, Europe and North America, adidas has found a way to change the process.
Futurecraft.Loop is a transformative approach to designing performance shoes that are made to be remade from the outset, by using one material type and no glue. Each component is made from 100% reusable TPU – it is spun to yarn, knitted, molded and clean-fused to a midsole using adidas Speedfactory technology.
Once the shoes come to the end of their first life and are returned to adidas – they are washed, ground to pellets and melted into material for components for a new pair of shoes, with zero waste. Each generation is designed to meet the adidas sports performance standard.
Sports footwear typically includes complex material mixes and component gluing - resulting in a shoe which can only be down-cycled. After close to a decade of research and development alongside leading material development, manufacturing and recycling partners across Asia, Europe and North America, adidas has found a way to change the process.
Futurecraft.Loop is a transformative approach to designing performance shoes that are made to be remade from the outset, by using one material type and no glue. Each component is made from 100% reusable TPU – it is spun to yarn, knitted, molded and clean-fused to a midsole using adidas Speedfactory technology.
Once the shoes come to the end of their first life and are returned to adidas – they are washed, ground to pellets and melted into material for components for a new pair of shoes, with zero waste. Each generation is designed to meet the adidas sports performance standard.