The Great Barrier Reef is home to more than 1,500 species of fish, 134 species of sharks and rays, and one recycled plastic tennis court. Adidas has teamed up with Parley for the Oceans, an environmental nonprofit, to create a relatively rare and novel entity to raise awareness about plastic waste in our oceans- a tennis court! It’s not a photoshop trick; this full-size and sustainable tennis court stationed atop a barge hosted a few matches between some of Australia’s biggest tennis stars. The sports stars played these matches in a one-of-a-kind location in the new Parley x Adidas tennis gear inspired by the colors of the reef.
The platform is decorated with words that say, ‘Plastic waste is a problem. Innovation is our solution’ on the sides. Adidas is taking its role in sustainable efforts very seriously. A few months ago, the brand launched the world’s first-ever vegan football boots, Predator Freak, with Stella McCartney and Manchester United’s Paul Pobga. 2021 witnessed the brand unveil their five-year strategy ‘Own the Game’ with sustainability as an integral component. For the first time, they made more than 60 percent of all products with sustainable materials like recycled polyester or sustainable cotton.
The Parley x Adidas apparel collection made with Parley Ocean Plastic will be worn by Tennis superstars yet again throughout the Australian Open in Melbourne this month. The eco-friendly collection is now available on the Adidas AU website. “All actions, no matter big or small, that are positive for the environment are great actions for people to be taking”, Nucifora tells ELLE Australia. She continued, “Australians now, more so than ever, should come and see the Great Barrier Reef because if you see it first hand you’ll fall in love with it and want to do your little bit to protect it.”
