Asics saves 25,000 t-shirts from landfills to create recycled sneakers

Japanese sporting brand Asics announced the release of its most environmentally sustainable footwear collection to date that uses five tons of recycled textile waste equivalent to 25,000 t-shirts to create new shoes.

The Earth Day Pack collection was created using a circular manufacturing approach that was able to keep textile waste from landfills and features running, court, and sportstyle sneaker ranges and an assortment of apparel.

In addition to the recycled material, the company stated it used a resource-saving technology called solution dyeing, which reduces CO2 emissions by 45 percent while cutting water usage by 33 percent during the dyeing process.

“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 percent of the world’s textile waste is upcycled while over 70 percent of apparel ends up in landfill or incinerators,” stated Yasuhito Hirota, president, and COO at Asics, in a release.

“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.”

The company stated all footwear featured in the collection features a sunflower icon and seed graphics symbolizing its commitment to planting the seeds for a better future and preserving the planet. The two arrows in the center of the emblem represent the brand’s ambition to help build a circular economy.