Whether it’s football kits made from recycling ocean plastic Parley or sneakers made from mushroom leather, the German sportswear company has been experimenting with new ways to make its products more environmentally friendly. This year’s Earth Day confirms the trend, with a pair of Superstar and Stan Smith sneakers in hemp making their first appearance online.

For this special collection, the Superstar and Stan Smith abandon the usual full leather upper in favor of a sustainable hemp structure. Left undyed and unfinished, they feature a cream color palette and are adorned with brown, green, yellow, and white crochet stitches that pay homage to the 1970s counterculture. Amazing!

Underfoot, both eco-friendly footwear rest on natural rubber midsoles and are tied with a pair of organic cotton laces. Additionally, the pairs are packaged in 100% recyclable cardboard boxes for an added touch of sustainability.

Sneakers using hemp as the main material are becoming increasingly popular. Harvested from the cannabis plant, it is a natural fiber that grows very quickly and requires little water to cultivate, making it much more sustainable than conventional shoe fabrics such as mesh, leather, and suede. Last summer, Stüssy launched a Nike Air Force 1 Mid made from hemp, and in February, Sean Wotherspoon announced that he was working on a Adidas Gazelle generously infused with the same material.

Adidas’ most eco-friendly collection of Superstar and Stan Smith will be released for Earth Day 2023, set for April 22. While we don’t expect the two new sneaker models to sell out immediately, we wouldn’t be too surprised if the opposite happened.