MESSI'S BOOTS TODAY, RECYCLED INTO YOURS TOMORROW

 
 
adidas reveals plans for custom, recyclable, zero-waste sporting goods

Herzogenaurach, September 24^th, 2015 - adidas today announced Sport Infinity, their plan for a new breed of sporting goods that will never be thrown away. Instead, football creators will be able to constantly reimagine and recycle their dream products using an inexhaustible 3-D super-material. Every gram of sportswear, including the boots of Leo Messi, will be broken down to be remoulded again in a waste-free, adhesive-free process that gives consumers more scope for personalisation than ever before.

Four-time FIFA Ballon d'Or winner Leo Messi said: "I am proud that adidas is working to make sure that all of their boots, including mine, are being made in a way that protects the environment. For me, this is the future of football."

Sport Infinity is a research project led by adidas and funded by the European Commission, which brings together a variety of industry and academic experts, and combines broken-down sports products with excess materials from other industries. So the football boots of the future could contain everything from carbon used in aircraft manufacturing to fibres of the boots that scored during the World Cup.

The new super-material will make every sports fan a product designer. A pair of boots can be restyled as often as the wearer wants without worrying about waste. Whether to keep up with the latest trends or react to on-pitch needs, the football fan of the future will never wear old boots again.

Gerd Manz, Vice President Technology Innovation at adidas, said: "This is a game-changing development for football fans. Over the next three years, Sport Infinity aims to end the days of throwing away football boots. Instead, every pair of boots is not just recycled but reimagined to the consumer's most personal specifications."

Glenn Bennett, Executive Board Member Global Operations at the adidas Group, added: "Following the announcement of SPEEDFACTORY and our partnership with Parley for the Oceans, Sport Infinity is the next step in our commitment to innovation and sustainability. This project will close the sustainability loop, creating a high-performance product that can always be recycled."

adidas and the European Commission kicked off the project in June 2015 together with nine other industry-leading experts: BASF SE; KISKA GmbH; FILL Gesellschaft m.b.H.; Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU); OECHSLER AG; University of Leeds, Centre for Technical Textiles (CTT); Association CETI (Centre Européen des Textiles Innovants); Hypercliq E.E.; SportsMethod Ltd.

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Useful links
Sport Infinity on the adidas Group website >>

adidas Group
The adidas Group is a global leader in the sporting goods industry, offering a broad portfolio of footwear, apparel and hardware for sport and lifestyle around the core brands adidas, Reebok, TaylorMade and Reebok-CCM Hockey. Headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany, the Group employs more than 53,000 people across the globe and generated sales of € 14.5 billion in 2014.

The adidas Group approach to Sustainability 
The adidas Group's sustainability strategy is rooted in the Group's values - performance, passion, integrity and diversity. The Group strives to continuously integrate sustainability into its business, using innovative ways to make product while minimising its environmental footprint and improving the lives of factory workers, its employees and people in the communities in which the Group operates. The Group works with partners such as the Better Cotton Initiative, Bluesign Technologies and Parley for the Oceans to take the industry to the next level. The company's programme regularly enjoys recognition by leading socially responsible investment rating agencies such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices and the FTSE4Good index. In 2015, for the 16th consecutive time, the adidas Group was included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices. At the beginning of 2015, the Group ranked third among 'The Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World', as announced by media and investment advisory company Corporate Knights at the World Economic Forum.

adidas Group and Open Source
Open Source is a strong commitment to further strengthen the company's ties with its consumers. By increasing consumer desire in how adidas creates, designs and presents products, the brand engages with consumers, athletes and partners more than ever before. adidas has already been working closely with some of the world's most creative and innovative influencers and organisations such as Stella McCartney, Kanye West, BASF SE or Google.

adidas Group and Speed
Speed is one of adidas Group's strategic choices. Through Speed, adidas will excite consumers with concepts that are fresh and desirable, available when and where they want them, with an unrivalled brand experience. By involving consumers in a unique brand experience, their passion for the brand will be further ignited. Fact sheet on SPEEDFACTORY

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