OUR JOURNEY

The steps we have taken so far.

We’re focusing on 3 core areas: Change Materials, Wear Longer, and Reduce Footprint. In 2023 we started launching a range of products called Know the Carbon Footprint so you can make more informed choices. We're committed to significantly scale the amount of products that are carbon footprint measured in the next few years. Since 2024, we've replaced virgin polyester with recycled polyester wherever possible. By 2025, we’re on track to reduce our carbon footprint by, on average, 15% per product, compared to 2017.

In 2022, 6,760,161 participants worldwide took part in Run for the Oceans. They logged 771,225,511 minutes of activity, which equated to a commitment to clean up 77.122.551,10 plastic bottles from our beaches, islands and coastal communities. In 2022, we also launched our first Made with a Lower Footprint range of products, which have a minimum of 10% reduction in CO2e vs a previous version.

In 2021, we launched Stan Smith Mylo. Its uppers are partially created with Mylo material, which is crafted from lab-grown mycelium, the root-like structure of mushrooms, and offers a renewable alternative that further unlocks our ability to make products with naturally grown materials. In 2021, adidas and Allbirds partnered to create FUTURECRAFT.FOOTPRINT, the lowest carbon emissions performance running shoe we have ever created. This is our first shoe to ever go below 3kg CO2e per pair: 2.94kg to be precise. Together, we reimagine what an ultra-light running shoe can be – approximately 60% less emissions per pair compared to adizero RC. In 2021, we also produced close to 18 million pairs of shoes containing Parley Ocean Plastic. Since the beginning of the partnership in 2015, we have produced almost 50 million pairs of shoes made in part with Parley Ocean Plastic. (between 2015 and 2021) (2017: 1 mio; 2018: 5 mio; 2019: 11 mio; 2020: 15 mio; 2021: close to 18 mio).

In 2019, we launched FUTURECRAFT.LOOP, the world’s first shoe made entirely from one material, so it can be ground down and remade into a new product after use​. In 2019 we produced more than 11 million pairs of shoes using recycled plastic intercepted from beaches and coastal regions, compared to five million in 2018 and one million in 2017. By the end of 2020, we produced more than 30 million pairs of shoes made in part with Parley Ocean Plastic, which helped contribute to achieving our goal of moving away from using virgin polyester wherever possible by 2024.

In 2016, we removed plastic shopping bags from our own global adidas retail stores. In 2017, we produced more than one million pairs of shoes made with Parley Ocean Plastic and called on our global community to sign up for the adidas x Parley Run for the Oceans, a global movement that took place for the first time on World Oceans Day 2017, to raise awareness for the state of the oceans. In 2018, we also partnered with Parley for the Oceans to host the second Run for the Oceans, which aimed to increase awareness about the issue of plastic pollution in the oceans. Athletes worldwide participated in the event, and the funds raised were used to educate and empower young people and their families in areas affected by plastic pollution. As we continue to support global initiatives that aim to drive change for our industry, in 2018 we affirmed our commitment by signing the UN Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action (UNFCCC).

In 2015, our partnership with Parley for the Oceans began. At the United Nations HQ, we revealed an innovative footwear concept born from this collaboration: the first footwear made in part with Parley Ocean Plastic. This shoe’s upper is made with a yarn which contains at least 50% Parley Ocean Plastic — re-imagined plastic waste, intercepted on remote islands, beaches, coastal communities and shorelines. The other 50% of the yarn is recycled polyester. In 2015, our main shoe boxes were made with at least 85% recycled materials."