Adidas X Parley's 'Run for the Oceans' returns for its fifth year

NEW DELHI: As we approach World Oceans Day on June 8, Adidas and its longstanding partner Parley for the Oceans are once again encouraging the global sporting community to turn an activity into action and 'Run for the Oceans' in 2022.

For the first time, new activities have been introduced to the challenge, making this the most inclusive 'Run for the Oceans' yet. People from all parts of the global sporting community are invited to hit the streets, the tennis court and the football field, and unite to help protect the oceans from plastic waste.

Launching between May 23-June 8, the event returns for its fifth year, with the ambition of mobilising a generation to help end plastic waste. Research shows that the world is at a tipping point, with it predicted that oceans will contain more plastic than fish by 2050.

For every 10 minutes of running from select activities, such as running, tennis or football recorded by participants through the Adidas Runtastic app, Joyrun, Codoon, Yeudongquan or Strava, Parley will clean up the equivalent weight of one plastic bottle from beaches, remote islands and coastlines before it reaches the ocean (up to a maximum of 250,000kg).

Katja Schreiber, SVP of Sustainability at Adidas, said, "Time is against us in the race to help end plastic waste, so we're pushing harder and with more focus than ever before. Just like how this is an industry-wide problem, it requires industry-wide solutions because sustainability is a team sport. By uniting our sporting community for this challenge, we can inspire real action against plastic waste by giving people an experience where their actions and way of being active contribute toward cleaning up the ocean."

"It's important that our own brand commitments reflect the situation with which we are faced and that's why we've committed to our goal of replacing virgin polyester with recycled polyester in our products by 2024 wherever possible."

Cyrill Gutsch, CEO and founder of Parley, said, "Seven years ago, Adidas signed a contract to support Parley as a founding partner. With this decision, the three stripes showed the courage to face an epic threat: The Plastic Crisis. Millions of people have supported us since, with action and by buying products made with Parley Ocean Plastic, a material we invented to fund our work. These products became symbols of change, flags that carry an optimistic message. We can end the crisis by cleaning up our planet, inventing new materials and most importantly, by changing our minds. Today, plastic is still threatening life. But billions of people now know how harmful it is. 'Run for the Oceans' is the moment where we turn awareness into action, where we grow our movement even bigger. Where everyone can take a stand. Run with your feet, run your mind! Help us to end this epic battle. Together we can win this impossible mission and end the destruction of our magical blue planet. Join Parley for the Oceans!"

Since 2017, Adidas and Parley's 'Run for the Oceans' has united more than 8.2 million runners worldwide, running a combined total of more than 81.7 million km.