To coincide with Earth Day this week, ASICS has launched a collection of environmentally sustainable footwear and apparel. The new line is geared toward the active sport and fitness consumer who holds a passion for lessening one's environmental impact.

The new Earth Day Pack is the ASICS brand’s most planet-friendly cross-category collection to date, having been created using a circular manufacturing approach that used around five tons of textile waste, the equivalent of 25,000 T-shirts, recycled into new shoes.

The pack includes many popular products from across ASICS running, court and Sportstyle shoes, including Gel-Nimbus 23, Glideride 2, Gel-Resolution 8 and Tarther Blast models, as well as a variety of clothing options. All of the footwear included in the Earth Day Pack feature a sunflower icon symbolizing the brand’s commitment to preserving the planet for future generations.

The Earth Day Pack’s smaller environmental footprint is not due to just the materials it is made from. The sock lining in all of the footwear models are developed using a resource-saving technology called solution dyeing that reduces CO2 emissions by around 45 percent and cuts water use by around 33 percent compared to the conventional dyeing processes.

"Since our founding in 1949, ASICS’ purpose has been to help people achieve a sound mind in a sound body. But for that, they need a sound earth to exercise on," says Yasuhito Hirota, President and COO at ASICS. "That’s why we’re committed to playing our part in building a circular economy that helps reduce CO2 emissions and keep global warming at less than 1.5℃. By continuing to innovate the manufacturing process across all our product categories, we can help build a circular economy and mitigate the impact of climate change.”

The environmental sustainability story behind the new Earth Day Pack is further brought to life in its design, with each piece featuring the sunflower logo as well as an intricate seed graphic representing ASICS’ ongoing commitment to planting the seeds of a brighter future. The two arrows in the center of the emblem denote the brand’s ambition to help build a circular economy.

The Earth Day Pack’s launch follows the release of the Sunrise Reborn Pack earlier this year. Made in part from recycled clothing collected in Japan, it employed the same advanced technology to create a range of upcycled apparel and footwear for the Japan team to wear during an international sporting event.   

Note: The percentage of recycled materials used in each of the Earth Day Pack products varies. For running shoes, at least 30 percent of the shoe’s upper polyester; for sportstyle, at least 40 percent of the primary material of the shoe’s upper; and for tennis shoes, at least 40 percent of the base mesh of shoe’s upper.