3D printed shoe from recycled ocean plastics

At the Parley Talks on the occasion of COP21, Adidas and Parley for the Oceans launched an innovative footwear concept via the the 3D-printed footwear made from ocean plastics. The concept shoe consists of an upper made with ocean plastic content and a midsole which is 3D printed using recycled polyester and gill net content. The concept shoe is based on a similar shoe developed by the two companies in July 2016, with improvement in this latest model added in the form of the 3D printed Futurecraft 3D midsole.

The shoe was unveiled at a press conference which anticipated a bigger event organised by Parley for the Oceans and titled 'Parley for the Oceans x COP21 - Oceans. Climate. Life.'  On November 20, leaders from around the world gathered in Paris for the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP21, to alleviate the impact of climate change.

Parley for the Oceans is an organization in which creators, thinkers and leaders come together to raise awareness about the state of the oceans and to collaborate on projects that can protect and conserve them. As founding member, Adidas supports Parley for the Oceans in its education and communication efforts, as well as its comprehensive Ocean Plastic Program (A.I.R., Avoid, Intercept, and Redesign) that intends to end plastic pollution of the oceans.

Since the partnership was announced in April 2015, Adidas has taken concrete immediate steps in this direction. These include eliminating plastic bags from its stores by early 2016, and the use of plastic microbeads in their body care products by the end of 2015.