adidas's Latest Futurecraft Silhouette Is Biodegradable

adidas’s Futurecraft has come a long way since its debut last fall. In the year since, adi has introduced the likes of Futurecraft Leather, a “Triple Black” production for its Olympic athletes, an UltraBOOST-like update, and the sleek M.F.G. Now you can add the Futurecraft Biofabric to that stable.

Created in partnership with AMSilk and unveiled at the Biofabricate Conference in New York, the new kicks mark the first time silk biopolymers — a replication of natural silk dubbed Biosteel — have been used on a footwear release. The result is a product that’s not only up to 15% lighter than one using conventional synthetic fibers, but one that’s environmentally friendly as well and 100% naturally biodegradable. The shoe comes hot on the heels of the Three Stripes’ latest partnership with Parley for the Oceans and continues adidas’s push for sustainable innovation. Said James Carnes, adidas’s Vice President of Strategy Creation:

In a year of ground-breaking innovations from adidas, the announcement of our partnership with AMSilk – and the unveiling of the adidas Futurecraft Biofabric shoe – is another step in our commitment to redefining the sports industry.

This concept represents premium innovation. By using Biosteel® fiber in our products, we have achieved an unrivalled level of sustainability. We are moving beyond closed loop and into an infinite loop – or even no loop at all. This is a pioneering stride forward beyond sustainability into a new territory of bionic innovation.

While the cutting-edge Futurecraft Biofabric exists purely as a concept, it could signal big things to come for future footwear releases from adidas and the sporting goods industry as a whole.