Sportswear brand Adidas is doing its part in saving Mother Nature by developing shoes made of recycled waste materials collected from the ocean.

In 2006, there were 46,000 pieces of floating plastic reported for every square mile of ocean according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

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Plastic debris is pointed responsible for the deaths of more than a million of seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals yearly. The death of such creatures is said to be the only (there are probably more that are still unknown) impact of plastic debris on aquatic life that we know for now, according to CNET.com.

To help campaign for the awareness of the effects of plastic on marine life, the German company collaborated with Parley for the Oceans, an organization established in 2013 which advocates on the protection and conservation of the planet's oceans.

Last week, at a Parley for the Oceans event hosted by the United Nations, Parley founder Cyrill Gutsch and Adidas representative Eric Liedtke presented their latest collaborative project - a shoe prototype with an upper made completely from recycled ocean trash and illegal gillnets.

The gillnets were recovered by Sea Shepherd, a conservationist group which partnered with Parley for the Oceans. Sea Shepherd spent 110 days keeping a close watch on a poaching vessel and eventually managed to catch it near the West African coasts, American Live Wire has learned.

"At Parley for the Oceans, we want to establish the oceans as a fundamental part of the debate around climate change. Our objective is to boost public awareness and to inspire new collaborations that can contribute to protect and preserve the oceans," Gutsch stated.

"We are extremely proud that Adidas is joining us in this mission and is putting its creative force behind this partnership to show that it is possible to turn ocean plastic into something cool," he added on behalf of the advocacy group.

When Adidas revealed its partnership with Parley for the Oceans in April, the sportswear maker also announced that it would ditch plastic bag use in all its retail stores, Wall Street OTC reported.

"We are incredibly excited to join Parley for the Oceans as they bring the cause of the oceans to the attention of the United Nations," Liedtke said. "Adidas has long been a leader in sustainability, but this partnership allows us to tap into new areas and create innovative materials and products for our athletes. We invite everyone to join us on this journey to clean up the oceans."

The concept shoe currently does not have a name yet. It is expected to hit stores later this year with its design still open for slight alterations until then.

Tagsdesign, ocean waste, Science