ASICS is launching a new line of running and SportStyle shoes that use recycled polyester made from PET bottles in the shoe’s upper material. The rollout at stores worldwide and online began from April 24.
Called the Edo Era Tribute Pack, the company adds that the new collection underscores ASICS’ sustainability credentials by honouring the eco-friendly practices of Edo (present day Tokyo) from the 17th to 19th centuries. It was during that period that reusing and recycling was integral to life in Japan.
The new offerings recall the eco-centric self-sufficiency ethos of bygone times in Tokyo, with 2021 seeing the eyes of the world turning to the city for the world’s biggest sporting event.
The company adds that the range is in keeping with ASICS’ commitment to sustainability in various aspects of its business. The uppers of the collection’s six performance running shoe models and four SportStyle offerings employ recycled polyester fibres made from a total of around 300,000 PET bottles.
These items represent the first stage of an ASICS drive to switch to 100% recycled polyester fibres in all of its uppers by 2030 to help combat climate change.
The collection uses 100% recycled paper shoe boxes with approximately 10% less material than ASICS’ standard designs, and sees a switch from oil-based inks to water-based ones – halving ink usage. These sustainable shoe boxes will expand sequentially from July 2020. The boxes in the scope of these changes will be switched in 2021, thereby cutting ASICS’ annual CO2 emissions by approximately 1,200 metric tons.
The graphics for the uppers incorporate a combination of two Edo Era lettering styles in a nod to that period’s inspiration for the collection. One lettering style is yose moji, typically used for posters and flyers. The other is kakuji, which are thick, squared characters, which often featured on scraps of paper that worshippers often posted on the gates of shrines and temples.
