The Recyclable adidas FUTURECRAFT.LOOP Moves into Phase 2
The Three Stripes presented a bold new vision for sustainable footwear when launched the , a completely recyclable performance running shoe that was 'made to be remade' with a circular manufacturing model. Just 200 pairs were given out to a select few, and now that those used pairs have been returned and melted down by the folks in Herzo, adi are ready for the next phase of FUTURECRAFT.LOOP.
Simply dubbed FUTURECRAFT.LOOP Gen 2, the new BOOST-cushioned design was built from the remnants of the first-gen sneaker, and adds a blue gradient to the mix to demonstrate the flexibility of the production process.
'As soon as we'd received the Generation 1 shoes, we were able to start Phase 2,' adidas explain. 'We collected the shoes, recycled them, kept them in our supply chain and ultimately remade the recycled material into new running shoe components. The material is melted and developed into new pellets, which are heated to form new components including the eyelets and outsole. Virgin TPU material is used to create the remaining components of the midsole and upper. The remade and new materials are fused together to create Generation 2: a running shoe in a blue colourway, that remains one material and is still 100% recyclable for the next generation.'
Gen 2 is going out to the original FUTURECRAFT.LOOP beta testers now, and adidas plan to launch a version of the recyclable shoes to the public in 2021.