ASICS brand’s has released its most planet-friendly cross-category collection to date, the new ‘Earth Day Pack’. This move is to introduce a circular manufacturing approach that saw around 5 tonnes of textile waste, the equivalent of 25,000 t-shirts, recycled into new shoes. The pack includes products from across ASICS running, court, and Sportstyle ranges, including sports and running shoes, as well as a wide range of clothing. And all footwear feature a specially designed sunflower icon symbolising the brand’s commitment to preserving the planet for future generations’, ASICS says.
It also says the two arrows in the centre of the emblem denote the brand’s ambition to ‘help build a circular economy’. The brand moves beyond symbolic gestures, as the smaller environmental footprint is not just down to the materials, the brand says. The sock-lining of the shoes are developed using a resource-saving technology called solution dyeing that reduces CO2 emissions by around 45% and cuts water use by around 33% compared to conventional dyeing processes.
Why Did ASICS Choose Sustainability?
Yasuhito Hirota, President and COO at ASICS, said: “Since our founding in 1949, ASICS’ purpose has been to help people achieve a sound mind in a sound body. But for that, they need a sound earth to exercise on. That’s why 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℃.
“It is said that only 1% of the world’s textile waste is up-cycled 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.”
Benefits of a Circular Economy
The current fashion system uses high volumes of non-renewable resources, including petroleum, extracted to produce clothes that are often used only for a short length of time, after which the materials are largely lost to landfill or incineration. This system puts pressure on valuable resources such as water, pollutes the environment and degrades ecosystems in addition to creating societal impacts on a global scale.
By adopting a circular economy, we can reduce the impact we have on our environment by recycling textile waste instead of disposing them in landfills. This also increases the security of the supply of raw materials and promotes innovation in companies, as shown by ASICS.
