BIG STEP, SMALL FOOTPRINT: ASICS LAUNCES NEW EARTH DAY PACK

REGIONAL: Global RELEASE DATE: 2021.04.15

• ASICS’ most environmentally sustainable cross-category collection ever uses around 5 tons of recycled textile waste alongside resource-saving production processes

15th April 2021 – KOBE, JAPAN – Sport and exercise fans wanting to keep their activity levels high, but their environmental impact low need look no further than a new collection of environmentally sustainable footwear and apparel launched today by ASICS.

The new Earth Day Pack is the ASICS brand’s most planet-friendly cross-category collection to date having been created using a circular manufacturing approach that saw around 5 tons of textile waste, the equivalent of 25,000 t-shirts, recycled into new shoes.

The pack includes many popular products from across ASICS running, court, and Sportstyle ranges, including GEL-NIMBUS™ 23, GLIDERIDE™ 2, GEL-RESOLUTION™ 8 and TARTHER™ BLAST shoes, as well as a wide range of clothing. And all footwear feature a specially created sunflower icon symbolising the brand’s commitment to preserving the planet for future generations.

Yet the Earth Day Pack’s smaller environmental footprint is not just down to the materials it is made from. The socklining 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.

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% [1] of the world’s textile waste is upcycled 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.”

The environmental sustainability story behind the new Earth Day Pack is further brought to life in its design, with each piece featuring the sunflower logo as well as an intricate seed graphic representing ASICS’ ongoing commitment to planting the seeds of a brighter future. The two arrows in the centre of the emblem denote the brand’s ambition to help build a circular economy.

The Earth Day Pack’s launch follows the release of the Sunrise Reborn Pack earlier this year. Made in part from recycled clothing collected in Japan, it employed the same advanced technology to create a range of upcycled apparel and footwear for the Japan team to wear during an international sporting event.

The Earth Day Pack will be on sale globally in-store from 16th April 2021. To find out more, visit asics.com.

Note: The percentage of recycled materials used in each of the Earth Day Pack products varies. For running shoes, at least 30% of the shoe’s upper polyester; for sports style, at least 40% of the primary material of the shoe’s upper; and for tennis shoes, at least 40% of the base mesh of shoe’s upper.

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[1] Ellen MacArthur Foundation, A new textiles economy: Redesigning fashion’s future, 2017 (www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/publications).