Sports retailer Adidas recently teamed up with a conservation organization called Parley for the Oceans to put the ocean's overwhelming amount of trash to good use. In a world's first prototype, the two groups created a shoe whose upper construction was harvested from ocean plastic and illegal deep-sea gillnets. A Parley ally, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, collected the materials while on a 110-day expedition to track an outlawed poaching vessel off the coast of West Africa.
You'd never guess that the stylish shoe was made of ocean refuge, and the collaboration proves that fashion can come from eco-friendly and sustainable sources. “We are extremely proud that Adidas is joining us in this mission and is putting its creative force behind this partnership to show that it is possible to turn ocean plastic into something cool,” Parley founder Cyrill Gutsch said during a presentation about the project.
While it's uncertain if this shoe will ever be for sale, its creation marks a new beginning for Adidas. The company will start incorporating recycled plastic into its footwear by early next year.
Materials collected by Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Adidas: Website
Parley for the Oceans: Website
via [Good, The Huffington Post, PR Newser]
