ABSTRACT
German-born Cyrill Gutsch set up New-York-based Parley for the Oceans in 2012. By April 2015 Parley announced its first commercial partnership – with sportswear giant Adidas, initially making training shoes out of ocean plastic waste. Parley has attempted to ‘take ownership of the supply chain’ with Adidas. Adidas used the chemistry and innovative manufacturing processes of ‘tailored fibre technology’, which allows a more flexible combination of yarns, fibres and threads. Consumers will hopefully change their behaviour and return their shoes back to Adidas to reprocess, and avoid the product becoming waste. Parley creates products with a clear narrative; a story to tell that is enticing and intriguing. Its products allow consumers to learn as much as they care to about the environmental issues associated with the consumable, while knowing that they are 'doing their bit' for the environment by choosing Adidas and Parley training shoes over 'normal' ones.
