adidas has announced a grassroot level initiative to drive awareness for reducing the use of single-use plastic among consumers in collaboration with Select CITYWALK, the first mall in Delhi to go plastic-free.
As part of the activity, adidas and Select CITYWALK have created a working model, where plastic bottle collection bins have been installed in accessible and visible locations inside the mall to encourage people to take a stand against the use of single-use plastic and trash consciously and responsibly. The accumulated plastic waste will then be collected and recycled by adidas in collaboration with Polygenta to make high-performance sportswear, converting 14 plastic bottles into 1 T-shirt; thereby converting a threat into thread.
Manish Sapra, Senior Brand Director, adidas India said, “From rivers to oceans and forests to city streets, the issue of plastic waste is a serious one. By 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in our oceans. It’s time to take ownership of the issue and responsibility for the solution. As a brand, we always believed in investing our knowledge and efforts to drive a collaborative campaign towards meaningful and purpose driven causes and we are glad to have Select CITYWALK with us in our fight against plastic. A major component of teaching our future generations about the threat of plastic on the environment and our lives is by raising awareness and educating the consumers at a grassroot level. This activity underlines the thought that we all need to make environmentally-conscious decisions and it all starts with a small yet significant step towards effective solvent disposal.”
Both brands, adidas and Select CITYWALK share the belief that for any action to have a far reaching and measurable impact, it is imperative to educate and sensitise masses. For adidas, who has been a frontrunner in its fight against marine pollution with its very successful global movement – Run for the Oceans – this initiative is an extension of the brand’s ideology to support and protect the communities in which they operate. Together the two powerful brands endeavour to catalyse a behavioural change among consumers and draw their attention towards the epidemic of plastic pollution.
Talking about this initiative, Yogeshwar Sharma, Executive Director & CEO, Select CITYWALK said, “The plastic threat is real and a serious concern for the future generations. One of the ways to resolve and reduce the plastic footprint on the planet is via innovation. We at Select CITYWALK are working actively to build awareness and encourage solutions such as this wonderful initiative of Repurposing Plastic with adidas, which has already got a huge support from the shoppers. We are truly #HereForYou in every possible way.”
Other Initiatives by Select CITYWALK
Additionally, Select CITYWALK has also undertaken a school outreach program where students were encouraged to collect waste plastic bottles and contribute to the cause. This activity, which started a month back saw some encouraging results. About 250 students from various schools such as DPS International Gurgaon, APJ Saket, DPS International Saket and Amity International Pushp Vihar joined the drive at the shopping centre of Select CITYWALK on Oct 15, 2019 and students from the school DPS International, Gurugram emerged as the winner as they carried the highest number of bottles in weight and were recognised for their support towards the cause with gifts and certificates by Select CITYWALK & adidas India.
Projects by adidas
In 2016, adidas started working with Parley for the Oceans. The sportswear brand used their know-how to convert the plastic which they collect back from the oceans into fibre and then make shoes out of them.
“We started with a few pairs in 2016 with a million pairs in 2017 and this year, we will make 11 million pairs with Parley. Each pair is made with 11 bottles,” Sapra revealed.
“Apart from that we have also been a part of the initiatives like Run for the Oceans. By 2024, across our supply chain, we will have zero virgin plastic,” he added.
At present, around 30 percent of the locally produced apparel and accessories are made of recycled plastic. By 2024, adidas will be making 100 percent of the products from recycled materials.
“Today, the products made of recycled and reused plastic are a bit expensive but soon as we will increase the production volume, the cost will definitely come down,” Sapra concluded.
