Turning textile waste into sports shoes and apparel: Asics launched a new sustainable collection

The recycling of textile waste into another textile product is now the thing of the past. Asics has launched a new sustainable sports shoe collection made of around 5 tons of recycled textile waste. The collection is also comprised of apparel made from textile waste. The Earth Day Pack will be on sale globally in-store from 16th April 2021.

The new Earth Day Pack is the ASICS brand’s most planet-friendly cross-category collection to date, having been created using a circular manufacturing approach that saw around 5 tons of textile waste, the equivalent of 25,000 t-shirts, recycled into new shoes. Yet, the Earth Day Pack’s smaller environmental footprint is not just down to the materials it is made from. The sock lining of the boots is developed using a resource-saving technology called solution dyeing that reduces CO2 emissions by around 45% and cuts water use by approximately 33% compared to conventional dyeing processes.

Yasuhito Hirota, President and COO at ASICS, said: “Since our founding in 1949, ASICS’ purpose has been to help people achieve a sound mind in a sound body. But for that, they need good earth to exercise on. That’s why we’re committed to playing our part in building a circular economy that helps reduce CO2 emissions and keep global warming at less than 1.5℃. It is said that only 1% of the world’s textile waste is upcycled, while over 70% of apparel ends up in landfills or incinerators. By continuing to innovate the manufacturing process across all our product categories, we can help build a circular economy and mitigate the impact of climate change.”

Asics is a Japanese multinational corporation that produces sports equipment designed for a wide range of sports. The name is an acronym for the Latin phrase anima sana in corpore sano, which translates as “Healthy soul in a healthy body”. In recent years their running shoes have often been ranked among the top performance footwear in the market. Products manufactured and marketed by Asics include footwear (sneakers, sandals), clothing (t-shirts, jackets, hoodies, compression garments, pants, shorts, socks), and accessories (bags, backpacks, caps).

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