Exploring tech innovations from adidas
BLUEPRINT FOR CHANGE
Front/Back Cover: Courtesy of Adidas
Image (Right): Courtesy of Parley for the Oceans 2
BLUEPRINT FOR CHANGE
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the BLUEPRINT FOR CHANGE
partnership Eric Liedtke and Cyrill Gutsch discuss the organization’s commitment to and strategy for ocean conservation. Written by Josh Rubin Images courtesey of adidas
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That directly translates to 11 million bottles removed from the beach. But their ultimate goal is to help stop the creation of new virgin plastics. At their recent United Nations summit, Parley called island nations to action. We spoke with adidas Head of Global
Brands Eric Liedtke and Parley’s founder Cyrill Gutsch to better understand what it all means and what it will take to make it happen. Can you give some background on this program and what you’re hoping to accomplish? Gutsch: We believe that we have to invent our way out of this. We can’t call this sustainability and just do the same old thing. It’s pretty much changed, everything with this overnight, and creativity and the creative community is at the core of that. There are solutions, there is knowledge, there are technologies. And the ideas are [action] now and that’s what we have done and what we are doing, and that’s what we are showcasing in our partnership: connect the knowledge, the skills, the technologies. The way out of our ocean trouble is with action, which is done by the brands, which is being done by adidas.
You understand that design is really just when a problem is solved.
Why represent the UN? Gutsch: Right now, we’re adding countries as members of our collaboration effort. The idea is to have a very intensive and strong—but also strategically oriented and focused—process going on where all these partners, the creative community, the brands, the environmentalists and the governments agree on strategies and cut down this crazy, huge complex situation. All these problems together make it tough. We are cutting them down into little pieces and addressing one after the other. We are focusing on plastic goods right now. We showcased this program on how a country can face ocean plastic pollution and what they actually can do...how you can actually end it. It’s not that we ended it in the Maldives, but we have proven our tools, we have proven our knowledge.
BLUEPRINT FOR CHANGE
Almost a year ago, adidas made a commitment to Parley for the Oceans, an organization dedicated to raising awareness about the fragile nature of the 70% of our planet that exists in saltwater form. Not only has this commitment been renewed, but adidas has expanded their efforts and declared resounding change. Yes, they’ve taken part in the development of a new supply chain to recycle ocean plastic. But they’re also aiming to produce one million pairs of shoes from ocean plastic by the end of 2017.
And when they sign up, what are they committing to do? Liedtke: Plastic bags, singleuse plastics, all those things. They’re signing up to eliminate those, which are some of the main pollutants that go out.
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Gutsch: Then interception. We implement our system to intercept that trash from coastal communities, but also retrieve from beaches, from reefs, from the seabed, even from high seas. It’s not only the plastic pieces, the small and big ones, but also the nets that are discovered, like the ghost nets that are floating around and kill, and kill and kill. It’s a very complex interception program that is based on collaboration with the communities and pretty much everybody in the country has to become part of to make it work and to make it feasible. Finally, there’s a commitment to be in the forefront of testing new technologies that can replace plastic products. So it’s actually an ongoing pilot program for the whole world. It can become a blueprint for
change. And it’s great to work with these small countries because often the structure is not in place, which seems like a disadvantage, but in this case it is an advantage because you don’t have to fight against existing interests. Liedtke: They’re also the most progressive. They’re not afraid to try—because it affects the ocean, it affects their tourism, their pollution just in general. Nobody wants to go on vacation if they’re looking at a trashy beach outside their window, so they’re most affected by this thing, so they’re most susceptible to standing up to the corporate lobbyists that might be supporting the supermarket union or something that is trying to keep plastic bags and they say no, it’s over. We can move very fast in these island states. And I say we because I’m on the
It’s actually an ongoing pilot program for the whole world. It can become a blueprint for change. 8
board and we’re co-founded, so basically we’re here to support. Then we basically come in and say “guys, that’s great, we’re going to take the intercepted plastic. We’re going to redesign it into a design solution.” And you can appreciate that being a designer, you understand that design is really just when a problem is solved. What about the product itself shoes made with Parley Ocean Plastic? Liedtke: Now, through knitting technologies, you’re using thread, you’re using polyester to make most of the great product that you’re wearing with the Nomad, or I’m wearing with the Pure, or he’s wearing with the Ultra. If we bring recycled ocean plastic into that and we bring in the thread, then we redesign a solution. Now we don’t want to ask the consumer to have
to sacrifice something. We need to still live up to the standards we set from our brand and where we’re going, but I envision a day when all of the threads that we use with polyester will be recycled ocean plastics.
BLUEPRINT FOR CHANGE
There’s an aesthetic language that’s been established with the product you’ve shown so far. I think that’s really important for creating awareness and building some energy around this movement, but at what point do you think we will no longer need such pointed design cues? Gutsch: Eco-Innovation is an open playing field, and we all need to participate to get scale and go fast because the clock is ticking. And we all know it, and we’ve all got families to think about and let’s join hands and get after this.
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ADIDAS REVEALS THE FIRST
The company says 100,000 pairs of Futurecraft sneakers will be made by the end of 2018
PRINTED SHOE IT’LL MASSPRODUCE Written by James Vincent Images courtesy of High Snobiety
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Individualization will come, but you’ve got to learn to walk before you run.
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Adidas has been playing around with 3D printing as a manufacturing method for a while now, but its latest sneaker — the Futurecraft 4D — might be its most ambitious creation yet. The mid-sole of the shoe is created using a process known as Continuous Liquid Interface Production, in which the design is essentially pulled out of a vat of liquid polymer resin, and fixed into its desired shape using ultraviolet light. The Silicon Valley company that created the method, Carbon, say it’s faster and more adaptable than traditional additive printing, and can make mass-production 3D printing a reality. Carbon is financed by funds set up by Google and General Electric, and say its methods allow for companies to go from design to product faster than ever. They also claim the final materials are more robust and flexible than traditional injection moulded plastics. However, this is still new technology, and Adidas isn’t leaping two-footed into
the 3D-printed future just yet. Only 5,000 pairs of Futurecraft shoes will go on sale later this year, although the company says it aims to produce 100,000 pairs in total by the end of 2018. “This is a milestone not only for us as a company but also for the industry,” Adidas’ Gerd Manz told Reuters. “We’ve cracked some of the boundaries.” One of the attractions in using 3D printing for sneaker production is that it allows the creation of smaller batches of shoes. These could be small runs tailored for particular events or location, or they could even be expensive one-offs — molded to suit an individual’s foot-shape or gait. That will take time, though, as Adidas and Carbon have to bring down the costs of production before these shoes are affordable. “Individualization will come, but you’ve got to learn to walk before you run,” said Manz. The cost of a pair of Futurecraft 4Ds is not yet known, but Adidas says it will be in the “premium” price range.
Adidas closes its digital sports division It's folding the technology into all areas of its business. Written by Jon Fingas Sportswear brands might be reviving their interest in fitness technology, but Adidas is staging its comeback in a very roundabout way.
This is a milestone not only for us as a company but also for the industry.
This won’t affect Adidas’ partnership with Fitbit to release an athlete-focused version of the Ionic smartwatch in 2018. The two are “moving forward as planned,” a spokesperson tells Engadget.
BLUEPRINT FOR CHANGE
The company’s American segment is closing its dedicated digital sports division and folding the group’s work into “all areas” of its business. Just how this will affect Adidas’ wearable tech strategy isn’t clear, but reports suggest the brand is centering its efforts around Runtastic and its shopping app.
Thankfully, the closure won’t necessarily carry a steep human cost when Adidas is looking at new positions for the 74 affected workers. The main concern is whether this hurts or hinders Adidas’ digital fitness efforts. It’s part of a broader effort to make Adidas a more responsive company, and folding the digital team into other areas may help if it speeds up decision making and makes technology a mainstay of the company’s products. At the same time, it’s hard not to see this as a loss in some form. Adidas no longer has a central team that can unite all its digital efforts, and there’s only so much Runtastic can do to fill in any gaps.
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