An estimated eight million metric tons of plastic waste makes its way into our oceans each year, threatening marine habitat, being consumed by fish and marine species (and killing them in the process), as well as entering the food chain.
Parley for the Oceans, an oceans advocacy group, believes that environmental change is possible through collaboration. For the second year running, the non-profit organisation has teamed up with adidas to hold Run For The Oceans, a worldwide running movement that uses the power of sport to raise awareness of the threat of ocean plastic pollution.
This initiative runs (pun intended) until July 8 and calls on their global communities to take action to protect the oceans that are increasingly threatened by human-induced pollution, plastic waste and microplastics, unsustainable fishing practices and overconsumption of plastic resources due to population growth.
The fate of biological diversity for the next 10 million years will almost certainly be determined during the next 50-100 years by the activities of a single species.” – Paul Erlich and Robert Pringle
Since 2015, the collaborators have been educating people on the marine plastic issue. They’ve also come up with some innovative and creative ways to get the message out, primarily by making ocean plastic trendy.
The adidas x Parley range of products feature Parley Ocean Plastic™, a fabric made of recycled fibres sourced from upcycled marine plastic debris and fishing nets. Timed for their ‘Run for the Oceans’ global event, adidas also reveals its limited-release UltraBOOST Parley and UltraBOOST X shoes which blends high sports performance and is made of 95 percent Parley Ocean Plastic™ Primeknit upper. Each eco-friendly pair of runners saves approximately 11 plastic bottles from entering our oceans.
The fate of biological diversity for the next 10 million years will almost certainly be determined during the next 50-100 years by the activities of a single species.' - Paul Erlich and Robert PringleClick To TweetRelated Post: The Story of Ocean Pollution: Most Plastic in Our Oceans Can Be Traced Back to Just 10 Rivers
In recent years, Parley has increasingly become a favourite environmental partner for many brands across the globe. It has partnered with creatives, designers, fashion brands, musicians and scientists and recently, for World Oceans Day, it teamed up with Mexican beer brand Corona to create eye-catching art installations at major locations across the world to visually communicate the issue of ocean plastic.
Parley focusses on three key strategies, dubbed ‘Plastic AIR’:
- Avoiding plastic wherever possible
- Intercept plastic waste
- Redesign the material itself.
Its collaboration with adidas focusses on the third strategy.
“Every second breath we take is created by the Oceans,” said Cyrill Gutsch, Founder of Parley for the Oceans. “Still, we are killing its life in rapid speed. We are hosting Run for the Oceans with adidas to step out of our routine, to take a deep breath and to reflect on how important the sea is for every one of us. And to show that millions of little steps can make a huge difference for our movement.”
Related Post: Earth is Choking on Plastic: How the Heck Did We End Up Here?
This year they’re taking the event to a whole new level. adidas will match every kilometre run with $1 dollar– capped at one million US dollars – to support the Parley Ocean Plastic Program, and more specifically, the Parley Ocean School initiative which empowers the next generation of ocean stewards through engaging in-school and water sports activities to educate them on the impacts of marine plastic pollution and inspire them to protect the oceans.
'The fate of biological diversity for the next 10 million years will almost certainly be determined during the next 50-100 years by the activities of a single species.' - Paul Erlich and Robert PringleClick To Tweet
Parley and adidas are hosting a series of physical ‘Run for the Oceans’ running events in several key cities worldwide including LA, New York, Paris, London and Sydney amongst others. Runners around the world can also join the movement by downloading and signing up to the Runtastic app (or Joyrun in China) and tracking their runs. Each step tracked through the app helps to reach the one million kilometre mark which means one million dollars in Parley’s kitty to do more amazing work on behalf of Mother Nature.
“At adidas, we believe that sport has the power to change lives and the Run For The Oceans movement truly reflects this,” Andre Maestrini, the General Manager, adidas Sports Business Units said. “We have created a unique global platform that gives everyone the opportunity to impact their lives by joining a collective running movement that fights marine plastic pollution. Seeing the adidas family unite for a shared purpose is what makes the campaign so powerful.”
To learn more about the Run For The Oceans, to get involved or to browse eco-friendly runners, visit adidas.com/parley
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