The Green Runners have adinuf. We're Anti Evo.

Press Release / 29.09.2023

The Green Runners have sent an open letter to Adidas to strongly object to its new, "single-use" plastic shoe, the Pro Evo.

The fast fashion product is strikingly at odds with our climate and ecological emergency, a symbol of our wasteful, throw-away consumer culture and the global overconsumption crisis. It proves Adidas are not serious about our urgent global predicament and previous sustainability claims are merely greenwashing.

The open letter reads as follows.

Dear Mr Gulden, Adidas Chief Executive Officer                

We, The Green Runners, write to object in the strongest terms regarding your latest development in running shoe technology. We are Anti Evo.

For many years people have campaigned against single use plastics. And slowly, too slowly, Governments are paying heed. In the United Kingdom, charges have been introduced on grocery store bags. Across the European Union, businesses can no longer supply, sell or offer single-use plastic items such as cutlery, straws, balloon sticks and cotton buds.

But who would have thought that a major sports brand would have the audacity to market a single use running shoe? We didn’t. But perhaps we should have seen it coming. Over the last few years the race for the fastest shoe has seen the lifespan of racing shoes fall. And now you give us the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1, a shoe designed to last one marathon race. Is this the ultimate in single-use madness?

Does it matter that your initial production run of Pro Evo 1s is limited to a mere 521? Yes! By promoting these shoes you are in danger of creating a new normal. An acceptance that people shouldn’t expect to get many miles out of their running shoes. An acceptance that increased shoe consumption is fine.

It appears you are happy with an increased consumption of running shoes. We are not. We face a global climate emergency, an emergency driven by over-consumption and a disregard for the environment. Running shoes that use energy for production and shipping, use oil derived materials and end up polluting the planet in landfill must be designed to last.

We promote running as a healthy way to engage with our environment and accept that in doing so our actions can be detrimental. Our philosophy is to encourage people to take action to minimise that harm. When it comes to running shoes we encourage people to buy from ethical companies, repair what they own, get the maximum use from their shoes, all before disposing of their shoes in a way that minimises the environmental impact.

The Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 is evolution in a direction that couldn’t be further from our philosophy. We will continue to promote a sustainable approach to running. And we will continue to call out those we believe are acting against the interests of the people and planet. We are Anti Evo.

Yours sincerely

The Green Runners

Important footnote Our letter is not aimed at Tigist Assefa and her world record breaking performance in the Berlin Marathon. She is an amazing runner and we celebrate her achievements.