Sports Brands are Going Green with Bio-based Products
New innovations and developments in bio-based production of sportswear and goods could not have come at a better time. Sports brand Adidas partnered with synthetic rubber company ARLANXEO to produce a new bio-based soccer ball, which they will introduce to the world in the grandest sporting event of the year - the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The official match ball combines ARLANXEO’s Keltan Eco rubber which is made of ethylene from sugarcane extracts with the outer covering of other Adidas tournament balls. This high-tech ball meets all the strict performance requirements prescribed by Adidas to ensure the ball is up to task during the tournament and is ecologically sustainable.
These environmentally-friendly products do not end with soccer balls, Adidas has been redefining the way shoes and trainers are being produced by making them one-hundred percent biodegradable. Their Futurecraft trainers are made of silk biopolymers and still offer the same great performance the brand is known for. And since the shoes are made of natural materials, they can decompose.
Aside from the Futurecraft trainers, Adidas also teamed with Ocean Parley, an environmental awareness group to create thousands of exclusive trainers made in large part from ocean waste. These new trainers replaces the synthetic fibres the company often uses with yarn knitted from ocean plastic. They even made football jerseys from the same type of material and that were worn by the athletes during their games.
The commitment of Adidas to incorporating renewable resources into the making of their products has caught the attention of other brands in the industry, which soon lead them to do the same.
Reebok, now a subsidiary of Adidas showcased a new line of plant-based trainers made of organic cotton last year. They partnered with DuPont Tate and Lyle Bio Products to source them the bio-based ingredients they needed for production like Susterra propanediol, a petroleum free diol obtained from field corn.
With large multinational corporations like Adidas leading the charge, this growing trend of using bio-based material in the sports and athletic ware industry could soon spillover to fashion and other related consumer goods. Who knows, maybe in the near future wearing something environmentally sustainable and completely biodegradable is the next fashion statement.
References:
Bio-Based World News article titled “adidas and Ocean Parley team up to create trainers and football tops from upcycled marine plastic.” (https://www.biobasedworldnews.com/adidas-and-ocean-parley-create-trainers-and-football-tops-from-upcycled-marine-plastic)
Bio-Based World News article titled “adidas committed to "redefining the sports industry" with biodegradable trainers.” (https://www.biobasedworldnews.com/adidas-committed-to-redefining-the-sports-industry-with-biodegradeable-trainers)
Bio-Based World News article titled “Growing plant-based footwear is “just the first step” for Reebok.” (https://www.biobasedworldnews.com/growing-plant-based-footwear-is-just-the-first-step-for-reebok)
EPPM article titled “Arlanxeo and Adidas team up for bio-based ball at FIFA World Cup” (https://www.eppm.com/materials/arlanxeo-and-adidas-team-up-for-bio-based-ball-at-fifa-world/)