German sportswear firm Adidas is teaming up with a group trying to clean up the world's oceans with a strategy to develop materials made from marine plastic waste that can be utilised in its solutions.
As the outcome of its partnership with the Parley for the Oceans initiative, Adidas also stated on Monday it would phase out the use of plastic bags at its 2,900 retailers.
Major style brands are jostling to highlight their ethical credentials as protest groups like Greenpeace pressure them to reduce their environmental effect and boost factory circumstances.
Swedish retailer H&M for instance has pledged to triple the quantity of solutions produced of recycled fibres by the finish of 2015.
Plastic employed in the consumer goods business causes marine pollution with a "natural capital price", a measure of environmental damage, of at least $13 billion a year, according to the United Nations Atmosphere Programme (UNEP).
Parley, a group of artists, designers, musicians and scientists, says significantly of the plastic waste ends up in mid-ocean whirlpools, entangling whales, birds and turtles and damaging the internal organs of the fish that ingest it.
Adidas stated it would operate with Parley to create fibres produced from recycled ocean waste for use in its clothing, and potentially shoe uppers, from next year. Dutch retailer G-Star Raw worked with Parley last year to launch a denim line created out of plastic waste.
Adidas made the announcement as it released its annual sustainability report, which detailed other methods the company is taking to strengthen its environmental record, such as utilizing far more sustainably-farmed cotton and recycled polyester.
