Adidas has committed to only use recycled plastic by 2024
Adidas is taking another step toward the production of sustainable products, pledging to use only recycled plastic by the year 2024. The company has announced plans to eliminate the use of new plastic, also known as virgin plastic, and the transition is set to begin this year.
Adidas will ditch the use of virgin plastic in nearly every aspect of operations such as in its warehouses, retail stores, and offices. Recycled polyester will be used in clothing, footwear, and accessories.
“We aim to use 100% recycled polyester in every product and on every application where a solution exists by 2024,” Adidas spokeswoman Maria Culp told the Financial Times.
According to CNN, the German company’s commitment to becoming more eco-friendly will save an estimated 40 tons of plastic every year.
Two years ago, Adidas launched a sustainable footwear and clothing line in collaboration with Parley for the Oceans. The products are manufactured in part by using plastic that was cleaned up off of beaches and from coastal communities.
Adidas sold one million pairs of Parley shoes in 2017, and predicts that this number will rise to five million by the end of the year.
In September, McDonald’s will replace plastic straws with paper ones in all of its stores across the UK and Ireland. According to BBC News, 1. 8 million plastic straws are distributed in McDonald’s across the UK every single day.
The Four Seasons, Hilton, and the Hyatt are also getting on board with the idea of using more environmentally-friendly products, pledging to ditch all plastic straws by the end of this year.
“Hilton has committed to removing plastic straws from all of its 650 managed hotels globally, which will save an estimated 35 million straws per year from potentially ending up in the ocean,” said a spokesperson for the company.
In the retail industry, Adidas is one of just a few major companies that has made a commitment to becoming more sustainable.
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By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer
