Tennis accessories made from single-use plastic bottles

A collaboration makes use of plastic waste collected from a high-profile sporting event

Spotted: Springwise has been tracking Rothy’s innovations for several years now, as the brand announced its initial shoe collection and then its expansion into handbags and other accessories. Now, in a partnership with Evian water and one of New York’s largest tennis tournaments, the sustainable shoe company has introduced a collection of tennis sneakers and accessories.

The Rothy’s x Evian collaboration gathered around 72,000 water bottles during the 2021 tennis tournament to create a capsule collection of recycled plastic courtside accessories. Available from August 2022, all products feature the traditional tennis white, and the entire collection is washable and created with Rothy’s signature knit-to-shape manufacturing process.

The collection consists of a duffel bag, racket bag, slip on shoe, sneaker, baseball cap, small bag, and visor. The items are available online and at Rothy’s New York City store. All Roth’y products are made from recycled plastic that is shredded and then spun into thread for 3D weaving before being finished by hand. Rothy’s has committed to becoming fully circular by 2023, with Evian working towards a goal of 2025.

Footwear is an importat area of sustainable innovation. Springwise has spotted innovations including vegan sneakers, shoes made from dog hair and mushrooms and a sneaker sole made from algae bloom.  

Written By: Keely Khoury