Adidas Sets $1.5 Million Fundraising Goal for Run for the Oceans Initiative Aimed at Combating Plastic Pollution
Ella Chochrek
Assistant Digital Editor
For World Ocean Day 2019, Adidas has a lofty goal: to raise $1.5 million through its Run for the Oceans initiative.
Last year, the brand raised $1 million from the project, with the money benefiting its long-term partner Parley for the Oceans. Funds were used to inspire 100,000 youths living in coastal areas impacted by plastic pollution through the Parley Ocean School program.
In 2019, Adidas has upped its goal to $1.5 million. This year’s funds will aid in the development and launch of the Parley Ocean youth activist program.
“Run for the Oceans is an opportunity to celebrate the oceans, a place where runners unite to dedicate their time and energy, and generate investment towards saving our oceans this year, for our new activist platform, a global stage for the next generation of creators, leaders and thinkers,” Parley for the Oceans CEO and founder Cyrill Gutsch said in a release. “As the voice of our future, our youth make the most convincing teachers and best ambassadors, educating parents, industry leaders and politicians, and using media in the most native way. Youth are our biggest hope, since they are driven by the strongest of all motivations: their own survival.”
Since 2016, the Three Stripes has been upcycling ocean plastic waste into sneakers. The sportswear giant started with 1 million pairs of shoes made from recycled plastic in 2017 — and this year, its goal is to make 11 million.
“The marine plastic crisis we’re facing has become critically urgent,” Alberto Uncini Manganelli, general manager of running for Adidas, said in a statement. “We are challenging our business and those around us to think about the decisions they make and how they impact the future, of not just our industry but our planet.”
Runners can join the movement by signing up for the Run for the Oceans challenge on the Runtastic (Joyrun) app. From June 8 to 16, the brand will donate $1 to the Parley Ocean School program (up to $1.5 million) for each kilometer run. Adidas will also host consumer events in three cities: New York, Shanghai and Barcelona.
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