The official Asics-made sportswear for the Tokyo 2020 Japan Olympic and Paralympic Team uses recycled clothes donated by people across Japan and will be worn at awards ceremonies and around the Olympic Village.
The sportswear is part of Asics’ wider commitment to climate change and its Reborn Wear Project. Asics produces items including shoes and bags for the Japan Olympic and Paralympic Team athletes under the JOC/JPC Gold Partner contract.
The Reborn Wear Project aims to tackle global climate change and contribute to the realization of a sustainable society by recycling donated clothes rich with memories from people across the country to the Tokyo 2020 Japan Olympic and Paralympic Team. Through the project, Asics showcases the model of a circular society and promotes new manufacturing that reduces environmental impact from Japan to the world, and demonstrates commitment to the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.
This summer, Asics plans to sell shoes made of recycled textiles as a hallmark of this project. The concept for these items is dubbed “Japonism” and expresses the power and pride of the team by blending a traditional Japanese sense of beauty with the latest technology. The main color, a bright “Sunrise Red” that expresses the dynamism of the sun rising, was adopted from the Rio 2016 Japan team.
The Asics Institute of Sport Science (ISS) took around four years to research and develop the items, and set three development themes: “Conditioning” with high breathability, movability and slip-on features; “Diversity” with universal design; and “Sustainability” with the Asics Reborn Wear Project, including recycled polyester and solution dyeing, a process that uses less water than conventional methods.
As part of its targets toward CO2 reduction goals, Asics has committed to replacing polyester materials in shoe uppers and sportswear products with 100 percent recycled polyester.