Asics launches sustainable sneakers made from recycled airbags and steering wheel

Sustainability and recycling have progressed from mere marketing jargon to becoming pillars of modern manufacturing. Global carmakers have advanced to showcase entire car interiors made from recycled plastics. And now, a carmaker subsidiary and a shoemaker have collaborated to launch a sustainable shoe made from recycled airbags and steering wheel leather. Presenting the Asics Gel Sonoma 15-50 ‘sustainable shoe’.

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The Asics Gel Sonoma 15-50 ‘sustainable shoe’ results from a joint collaboration between Asics and Toyoda Gosei. For the unaware, Toyoda Gosei is a subsidiary of the Japanese firm Toyota and is a leading manufacturer of rubber and plastic automotive and safety components. It excels at producing durable and high-quality airbag fabric and recycles them to create bags, pen cases, and other products under the Re-S eco brand. Hence, Toyoda Gosei was the ideal brand for Asics to join hands and develop a sustainable shoe.

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The environment-friendly sneaker features scraps of recycled airbag fabric on its upper layer. As the material comes from Toyoda Gosei, one can vouch for this Asics pair to be amongst the sturdiest footwear available for daily use. Additionally, the upper airbag fabric has been designed to mould according to the foot shape, offering a comfortable fit. The sides boast of Asics’ signature styling, finished in red. The sole gets made from recycled steering wheel leather to provide superior grip and durability. Plus, the steering wheel leather was categorised as water resistant, rendering the Asics Gel Sonoma 15-50 ideal for slippery conditions.

The Gel Sonoma 15-50 will be a part of Asics’ Sportstyle line, with the materials diversifying into other categories soon. The pair is available for purchase starting January 26, 2023, and is being sold for JP¥16,500 (US$123) on Asics’ Japanese website. Though, this isn’t the first innovation by Asics in footwear as last year saw the brand release a pair with the smallest carbon footprint ever. Read all about it here.