Here it is. adidas has revealed its first product made in partnership with Spinnova, following an announcement last year to invest $3.65 million USD in the Finnish textile material company. The adidas TERREX HS¹ is a mid-layer, performance hoodie that will be released this summer.

Spinnova has secured a huge amount of investment recently to develop new materials and technologies. Its patented SPINNOVA® fiber creates zero waste and zero microplastics, and keeps water use and CO2 emissions to a minimum. The material used in this adidas partnership is made of 25% wood-based fibers and 75% organic cotton.

Spinnova has made great efforts to reduce the impact on the environment in the production of its materials. The wood fibers are ground mechanically instead of being broken down by harmful chemicals, and are sourced from sustainable FSC certified wood and waste. And, instead of dyeing with large quantities of water and using chemical bleaches, the hoodie only comes in the material’s natural, ecru coloring.

Earlier this month, adidas partnered with other brands to launch the “D(R)YE Factory of the Future” project in collaboration with Fashion For Good. This campaign aims to reduce water wastage and pollution in the fashion industry by developing innovative new dry dyeing processes.

So, it seems that adidas has big plans for a more sustainable future. By 2025, it wants nine out of ten of its products to be the result of more sustainable technologies, materials or design. In response to the fashion industry’s dependence on plastic-based fabrics, it has developed a “three-loop strategy” to use more materials that are recycled, plant-based or are able to be regenerated.

Carla Murphy, general manager of adidas TERREX says, “progress is about learning and constantly moving forward – and for adidas this also means partnering to innovate in new areas.”

On the other side of the partnership, Spinnova’s CEO and co-founder, Janne Poranenin, says, “Spinnova is on a mission to transform the raw material base of the global textile industry by providing radically sustainable and high-performance textile materials. We are very proud of the revolutionary results our teams have accomplished together. Today’s launch is a major milestone on our joint commercial journey.”

We’ll be interested to see how the partnership develops as the brands continue to create pieces with natural fibers that still have performance at their heart. It seems fitting that this first piece is part of adidas’s outdoor brand, TERREX. This is gear designed for use in nature and so should be respectful and mindful of the planet on which it exists.

The adidas TERREX HS¹ will drop in limited numbers on adidas.com and in selected retail outlets from July.