Words by Charlotte Watts
Adidas and Parley For The Oceans join forces again for a collection that puts eco-innovation at the forefront of product design.
We uncover exactly who Parley is, why the collaboration is so important and how you can get involved.
WHO IS PARLEY?
Parley For The Oceans is a non-profit organisation dedicated to bringing creators, thinkers and leaders together to fight the battle on behalf of the ocean. It’s a bit of a sobering thought to realise that the opposing side of the fight is us - the human race. Every second breath we take is generated by the oceans, but still we don’t respect or protect it half as much as we should. Parley For The Oceans collaborates with creatives such as film makers, journalists, architects, fashion designers and more to educate consumers in an engaging and innovative way. While they believe the power is in the hands of the consumer, consumers need to be given a choice in order for them to make the right decision. Through these collaborations their aim is to raise awareness for the beauty and fragility of the oceans and produce projects which can support the process of ending their destruction.
Parley have created their own strategy named AIR, which consists of 3 key pillars of action:
- Avoid plastic wherever possible
- Intercept plastic waste
- Resign the material itself (Which is where their creative collaborations with brands such as Adidas sit)
WHY IS PREVENTING OCEAN PLASTIC SO IMPORTANT?
90% of big fish species have disappeared since 1950. 90% of seabirds and more than half of the world’s sea turtles have plastic in their stomachs. These are just a few of the shocking facts that have emerged regarding the state of the ocean in the past couple of years. It’s easy to have a closed minded view of these issues, and to think that the actions of one single person on this planet aren’t going to make much of a difference, but here’s where Parley comes in. You’ve likely heard the name floating about (pun intended) as they’ve worked with some pretty big names such as Stella McCartney and Corona. While up until now we may have had our heads buried in the sand over the topic, Parley believes it is the consumers that have the power to make change. So it looks like it’s now down to us.
HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED?
Run For Oceans is the latest brainchild of adidas and Parley. For the second year running, they have joined forces, along with Runtastic App to host a series of runs across the globe. Adidas will donate $1 for every kilometre tracked on the Runtastic app, up to a staggering $1million. As one of the largest sportswear giants on the planet, adidas have a certain responsibility and it appears they are not shying away from stepping up to the plate. With such a vast and dedicated audience, adidas offers the Parley initiative a platform to get their voice heard.
Run For The Oceans offers Parley an invite into the already naturally supportive nature of the running community. From 8th June 8th through to 8th July 2018, there are 12 major runs hosted across 6 key cities to support the movement against marine plastic pollution. After hearing how much we as a race have damaged and abused the ocean, global communities uniting for this cause restores a little faith in humanity. It would seem we do care about our planet, after all.
The London run, which took place on Sunday 17th June was a great success, with the likes of Olympic Athlete Jessica Ennis and Adidas Ambassador Zanna Van Dijk showing support on the day. Van Dijk said that as someone who has long been passionate about saving our oceans, she was so excited to hear that adidas had teamed up with Parley: “Seeing a global brand of this size get involved really gives me hope that positive changes are being made to support the health and longevity of our oceans.”
The money raised from Run For The Oceans will go to the Parley Ocean School. This initiative opened in 2015 in the Maldives, with the aim to teach and raise awareness to children on the importance and vulnerability of the ocean, with the hope that they will carry this knowledge with them and implement it into their lives. They hope that educating and empowering children on the subject will inspire them and in turn produce the next generation of Ocean Guardians.
THE SPORTSWEAR COLLECTION
Adidas and Parley have been working together since 2015, with their 2017 collection creating 1 million shoes out of ocean plastic. The latest range, including Parley updates on UltraBOOST trainers and ZNE hoodies, can be found in our eco-friendly activewear collection. Each item from the new adidas x Parley range is made from 95% Parley ocean plastic, which is upcycled waste that has been found on beaches in the Maldives which it intercepted before it can reach the ocean. To give some perspective, a single pair prevents 11 plastic bottles from making their way into the ocean.
Both sides of this partnership are experts in the area of materials, and with each drop they are learning more from each other, helping them to develop and improve the balance between performance and eco-innovation. Who’s wearing what has been pushed down the list of importance for the younger generations; consumers are becoming more drawn to brands for their ethos, and for offering them products that they can feel proud to support.
If the collection is to be as simultaneously beautiful and innovative as its previous years, you can purchase your newest pair of trainers with a sense of pride and nobility. You have officially contributed to help to save the ocean.
