Footwear
Apr 28, 2021
by Sidney Pacampara
ASICS’ Earth Day Pack Was Built With 5 Tons of Recycled Textile Waste
by Sidney Pacampara
Apr 28, 2021

Earth Day may have passed but the celebration, and more importantly the commitments are beyond a 24-hour affair. We’ve seen many brands each year use this time to showcase their work towards a more Earth-friendlier tomorrow – something ASICS isn’t afraid to shy away from.

With its pledge to make big steps in small footprints, the global footwear and apparel brand has announced its Earth Day Pack, and it’s never too late when you’re releasing your most environmentally sustainable cross-category collection ever. The pack is made up of seven different silhouettes across the brand’s running, court, and SportStyle categories including the GEL-NIMBUS 23, GT-1000 10, GLIDERIDE 2, GEL-LYTE III OG, SKYCOURT, and the TARTHER BLAST, as well as a wide range of apparel.

From performance runners to everyday classics, these reimagined versions of popular ASICS products were created by recycling five tons of textile waste. This is the equivalent of turning 25,000 T-shirts into new shoes. About 30% of the upper for the Earth Day Pack’s running shoes are made from recycled polyester. At least 40% of the primary material in the upper of the sports styles are recycled, and similarly, at least 40% of the base mesh for the tennis shoes are also recycled.

asics earth day 2021 sneakers collection gel lyte iii og nimbus 23 glideride 2 release footwear recycled materials solution dying skycourt gt 1000 glideride 2 farther blast
ASICS

“We’re committed to playing our part in building a circular economy that helps reduce CO2 emissions and keep global warming at less than 1.5℃,” said Yasuhito Hirota, President and COO at ASICS, in a recent press release. “It is said that only 1% of the world’s textile waste is upcycled while over 70% of apparel ends up in landfill or incinerators. By continuing to innovate the manufacturing process across all our product categories, we can help build a circular economy and mitigate the impact of climate change.”

ASICS’ quest to innovate its manufacturing process includes the Earth Day Pack’s approach to materials dyeing. The socklining of the shoes in the pack are developed using a resource-saving technology called solution dyeing. ASICS notes that this reduces CO2 emissions by about 45% and cuts water use by about 33%, when compared to conventional dyeing processes.

The ASICS Earth Day Pack will be fully available at the end of the month, on April 30, in-store and online at asics.com. If you want a piece of the pack now, the women’s and men’s versions of the GLIDERIDE 2 Earth Day are available now for $150 USD.

In other Earth Day footwear news, check out the recyclable runners from both adidas and Salomon.