- Don-Alvin Adegeest
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Stella McCartney and adidas are making strides to create circular
sportswear, and their latest collaboration sees a unisex hoodie made from
garment waste that is 100 percent recyclable. Called the Infinite hoodie,
it is produced with NyCycl finer by Evrnu, a textile innovations company
that invented a fiber made from discarded clothing called NuCycl.
The collection also features a tennis dress, still in prototype phase, made
with Bolt Threads, a company that specialises in bioengineered sustainable
materials and fibres. The dress is the first of its kind, made with
cellulose blended yarn and Microsilk, a protein-based material that is made
with renewable ingredients, like water, sugar, and yeast and has the
ability to fully biodegrade at the end of its life.
An estimated 92 million tonnes of textile waste is produced every year, a
dire figure which fuels the inspiration behind the sustainable efforts of
both companies to create product that not only performs for the athlete,
but also for the world at large. By the end of 2019 adidas will make 11
million pairs of shoes using Parley Ocean Plastic. The sportswear giant has
also pledged to use only recycled polyester in products by 2024.
James Carnes, Vice President of Strategy Creation at adidas, said in a
statement: “Creating products with upcycled plastic waste was our first
step. The next challenge is to end the concept of waste entirely. Focusing
on three core areas, we will explore ways to create products that can
either be fully recyclable or biodegradable. We don’t have all the answers
and we know we can’t do it alone. By collaborating with partners who share
our same vision, as we’ve done with Evrnu and Bolt Threads, we can combine
adidas’ sports industry expertise with specialist knowledge to bring about
a waste-free world.”
“Fashion is one of the most harmful industries to the environment. We can’t
wait any longer to search for answers and alternatives. By creating a truly
open approach to solving the problem of textile waste, we can help empower
the industry at large to bring more sustainable practices into reality.
With adidas by Stella McCartney we’re creating high performance products
that also safeguard the future of the planet,” said Stella McCartney.
The unveiling of the Infinite Hoodie and Biofabric Tennis Dress coincide
with the launch of the adidas by Stella McCartney Fall/Winter 2019
collection which features innovative fabrics and sustainable manufacture.
Photo credit: adidas by Stella McCartney Infinite Hoodie photographed by
Dominic Thiem , adidas by Stella McCartney Biofabric Tennis Dress,
photographed by Garbine Muguruza; images courtesy of Adidas
