One of the challenges in recycling is the separation of materials. Some of the adhesives used on packaging can contaminate the recycling stream, and the more complex the composition of materials, the more labor-intensive and costly the process becomes. Adidas is looking to change that by not only creating a shoe that is easier to recycle but by creating a closed-loop shoe recycling process.

The iconic brand started with the shoe’s material and design, which at face value doesn’t seem that all that different from their current crop of running shoes, right on down to their Boost energy foam.