Search

Ocean Plastic Recycled + Reborn as the Adidas Terrex FUTURECRAFT.LOOP Anorak

05.10.21 | By
Ocean Plastic Recycled + Reborn as the Adidas Terrex FUTURECRAFT.LOOP Anorak

When the term “sustainable” is thrown around within the fashion industry, one may be safe to assume it’s in reference to the use of organic materials, biodegradable dyes, or maybe a key component sourced with recycled materials. More serious efforts integrate engineering patterns that leave little or zero waste in the manufacturing process. Sportswear giant Adidas is attempting to integrate not just one or two of these sustainable practices into the lifecycle of their sportswear, but a holistic effort integrating them all, manifesting in the Adidas FUTURECRAFT.LOOP Anorak.

For a span of six weeks this winter, I had the companionship of an early prototype of the brand’s FUTURECRAFT.LOOP Anorak to wear whenever weather would permit in modestly chill Los Angeles. Made of 100% recycled ocean plastic yarn provided by Parley and the non-dyed anorak proved to be a super lightweight piece of outerwear, one designed to insulate warmly and offer weatherproof protection with Primaloft insulation also, made from recycled plastic waste.

Noting this was a prototype accompanied with an invitation for feedback, I notably recommended including some form of hardware to secure the various straps that otherwise flapped loose; Adidas is reputedly planning to add snaps and recycled zippers to address feedback provided from their test group.

The FUTURECRAFT.LOOP Anorak’s dye-free components and recycled polyester yarn means it can easily be disassembled to be reprocessed at the end of its lifecycle to renew the loop. The dye-free jacket shows the natural color of recycled polyester. And to avoid waste, the anorak is made using a laser cutter for precision, resulting in the reduction of individual materials to mitigate the steps required in recycling. Additionally Adidas is exploring assigning QR codes to direct customers toward instructions detailing sending back the anorak and other future similar, providing consumers with transport labels, and likely satisfying collaborating prospects with presents playing cards or exceptional content.

Adidas’s efforts toward fully recyclable sports gear is already represented by the Made to be Remade Ultraboost sneakers.

Like Adidas’s efforts in designing recyclable sneakers, the FUTURECRAFT.LOOP Anorak is an attempt to make one person’s trash into everyone’s treasure. Typically one would not praise a design as “pure trash”, but in this case the label sticks, and admirably so.

Gregory Han is a Senior Editor at Design Milk. A Los Angeles native with a profound love and curiosity for design, hiking, tide pools, and road trips, a selection of his adventures and musings can be found at gregoryhan.com.