Sportswear brand Adidas introduces Futurecraft.Loop, sneakers made from only one recyclable material, eliminating the need to disassemble the shoe before reuse.

The Futurecraft.Loop shoe is introduced as a ‘running shoe that is made to be remade’, and aims to tackle the problem of plastic waste.

Sports footwear, and most shoes, for that matter, are made of a mix of materials and component gluing. This means that at the end of a shoe’s life, it has to be disassembled before it can be recycled, and it usually means the materials are downcycled at best.

Adidas’ new shoe eliminates this problem by using only one material to make their shoes, and no glue. The performance shoes are made from 100% recyclable TPU, The material is spun into yarn, knitted, moulded and clean-fused with a midsole of the same material.

Once the shoes have reached the end of their first life, they can be returned to Adidas. There, they are washed, ground to pellets and melted into new material for the components of a new pair of shoes, with zero waste along the way, according to the company.

“Futurecraft seeks to break new ground,” said Paul Gaudio, SVP Creative Direction & Future, at Adidas, “bringing new materials and processes to bear against the many challenges and opportunities we face in helping athletes make a difference in their game, in their life and of course, in the world they live in – the world we all live in.”

The first-gen Futurecraft.Loop shoe is rolling out as part of a global beta program with 200 leading Creators from across the world’s major cities. adidas will challenge them to run, return the shoes and share feedback on their experience, ahead of the second-gen drop.

These shoes are not Adidas first attempt to create a sustainable sports shoe. Earlier, they worked with Parley for the Oceans to create trainers from ocean plastic. The brand also developed a shoe made from biodegradable synthetic spider silk.

Photos: Adidas