If you are someone that loves tennis as much as I do and cares a great deal about the environment, then you were probably also waiting for brands to start creating sustainable collections. 

Well, no more waiting people! 

Adidas made our dreams come true! We are finally not just able to have great apparel that makes our performance on court better but now we are able to feel better about our purchases, isn’t that great? 

In April, 2015 adidas announced the partnership with Parley for the Oceans, an environmental organization that raises awareness on the beauty and fragility of the oceans. I guess you all know by now the big issue that plastic poses for oceans and marine life. 

However, if you are not aware of  how big of a deal this is, here are some stats shared by the plastic pollution organization. Every single year, 8 million tons of plastic reaches our oceans, which is equivalent to 5 grocery bags filled with plastic for every foot of coastline in the world. The sad part that this is not even the worst, they predict that by 2025 the annual input will double the amount. 

That’s why I love this collaboration that adidas did with Parley, because they transformed an issue into a solution! They have created a material called Parley Ocean PlasticTM from upcycled plastic waste that was intercepted from the beaches and coastal communities before reaching the ocean. 

 Adidas first focused on creating a sustainable running shoe made of recycled plastic, which created a great impact! 

They have produced over 16 million pairs of shoes using recycled plastic from the beaches. This number has great importance, because that means that you and me as customers can make a difference! It means that choosing a sustainable product and a brand that finds solutions to our actual problem can change the way that companies operate. 

But now let’s get to tennis! 

The very first sustainable tennis collection that adidas launched was for the Australian Open in 2019, where the world’s top tennis players, including Alexander Zverev, Caroline Wozniacki, Angelique Kerber, Jelena Ostapenko, Garbiñe Muguruza, Dominic Thiem and JO-Wilfired Tsgona made part of the testing of the innovation! 

The step to bring sustainable collection for professional athletes is a game changer! Firstly, because professional athletes go through a lot of apparel as almost every tournament brings a new collection, which sadly, in most cases the item never goes through the full life cycle, which means that bringing a sustainable option will reduce the negative impact. Secondly, which from my point of view, is even more important, is that athletes being loved by so many of us creates more awareness on the issue, influences our purchases in a positive way, and last but not least, creates a conscious younger generation of athletes. 

That’s why I believe that this initiative that adidas made in tennis is one of the greatest when it comes to sustainability! 

Australian Open 2021 collection 

Let me know in the comments below what you think about these two collections! 

If you liked this initiative by Adidas you might also like the Plant-based running shoe by Reebok.