Technical Textiles: CETI partners with Adidas

24 Nov 2015 | A region on the move, Advanced Materials

Adidas has invited the European Center for Innovative Textiles (CETI) to join its Sport Infinity research program. Aim: develop a 100% recyclable sports shoe made from recycled materials.

CETI joins Sport Infinity program

Adidas, Europe’s leading sportswear specialist, has invited the European Center for Innovative Textiles (CETI) to join its Sport Infinity research program. Aim: use recyclable materials to develop a new breed of high-performance footwear that is itself 100% recyclable—a process Adidas calls “infinity-cycling.”

In this quest, CETI will be in good company, working alongside ten academic and industry partners, including BASF. “Adidas was attracted by our technological know-how, our expertise in bio-sourced materials and our prototyping capability,” says CETI director Bertrand Delesalle, who notes that CETI is the program’s only French participant.

Ultra-high-performance recycled footwear

Program experts will construct the new shoe from a “supermaterial” made from end-of-life sportswear and scrap from other industries, such as the carbon used in aircraft manufacturing. Adidas plans to invest €6 million.

“Over the next three years, Sport Infinity wants to move past the days when we threw out our old football shoes,” says Gerd Manz, Adidas VP for Innovation, adding: “Each pair will be not only recycled, but transformed into customized models that meet specific consumer requirements.” Effectively closing the sustainability loop.

Source: Le journal des entreprises, Eurosport