Asics launches new line of eco-friendly running shoes

Japanese sports brand Asics has launched a new line of running and sport-style shoes that use recycled polyester made from PET bottles in the shoe upper, as part of its commitment to sustainability.

The 'Edo Era Tribute Pack’ collection have been designed to underscore Asics' sustainability credentials by honouring the eco-friendly practices of Edo (present day Tokyo) from the 17th to 19th centuries – where reusing and recycling was integral to life in Japan, explains the sportswear brand.

The uppers of the collection’s six performance running shoe models and four sport-style offerings feature recycled polyester fibres made from a total of around 300,000 PET bottles. These items represent the first stage of an Asics drive to switch to 100 percent recycled polyester fibres in all of its uppers by 2030 to help combat climate change.

The collection also uses 100 percent recycled paper shoe boxes with approximately 10 percent less material than Asics’ standard designs, and sees a switch from oil-based inks to water-based ones to halve the ink usage.

These sustainable shoe boxes will expand sequentially from July 2020, and will be switched in 2021, to help the sportswear brand cut its annual CO2 emissions by approximately 1,200 metric tons.

Images: courtesy of Asics