#Sustainability

2020-10-01

adidas successfully places its first sustainability bond

Today, adidas successfully placed its first sustainability bond as the company continues to execute on its ambitious long-term sustainability roadmap while at the same time further optimizing its capital structure and financing costs. The € 500 million bond has a term of 8 years and a coupon of 0.00%. It will be listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange and has denominations of € 100,000 each. The offering was more than five times oversubscribed.

“Following the first-time bond placements as an investment-grade-rated issuer earlier this month, today’s successful sustainability bond offering marks another milestone for our company,” said adidas CFO Harm Ohlmeyer. “The proceeds will help fund environmental as well as social initiatives at adidas as we are committed to keep building on our industry leadership in the area of sustainability.”

Proceeds from the offering will be used in accordance with adidas’ newly created sustainability bond framework. The framework has been validated by a second-party opinion from Sustainalytics, a leading independent provider of sustainability ratings, who confirmed that the framework is credible, impactful and aligned with established sustainability principles. Eligible sustainable projects cover investments into more sustainable materials and processes as well as projects that positively impact communities. More specifically, this includes purchases of recycled materials for sustainably sourced products, investments into renewable energy production and energy-efficient buildings as well as various initiatives to create lasting change for underrepresented communities. The full sustainability bond framework is available on adidas-group.com, where the company will also publish regular updates on the allocation of proceeds.

adidas has taken important steps toward optimizing its capital structure and financing costs in the recent past. In early August, the company received strong first-time investment-grade ratings by both S&P and Moody’s. While Standard & Poor’s rated adidas ‘A+’, Moody’s granted the company an ‘A2’ rating.

The outlook for both ratings is ‘stable’. In the beginning of September, adidas successfully placed two bonds in an amount of € 1 billion in total. The bonds of € 500 million each have maturities of four and 15 years and coupons of 0.00% and 0.625%, respectively.

In context of today’s sustainability bond issuance, the syndicated revolving loan facility under participation of KfW will be further reduced by € 500 million to € 2.1 billion. The company had secured the facility earlier this year to bridge the unprecedented situation caused by the global coronavirus pandemic.

J.P. Morgan acted as Sole Sustainability Structuring Agent and Global Coordinator, and, together with BNP Paribas and Commerzbank, as Joint Active Bookrunners for the offering.

“Production is a product”

From technical textiles and AI-driven robotics to the limitations of textile circularity: Professor Dr Thomas Gries looks back on more than two decades of development at ITA Aachen. In the interview, he explains why production technology remains a decisive success factor, discusses international collaborations and innovation ecosystems, and shares his views on the transformation of production landscapes and the challenges facing an increasingly regulated industry.

“We need to move away from the price trap and return to a value-driven mindset.”

With its new Textile Innovation Center, KARL MAYER is sending a strong signal for innovation, collaboration, and the future of textile applications. In this interview, Karl Josef Mayer discusses new opportunities in warp knitting, the processing of staple fibres, recycling, the changing role of machinery manufacturers, and why the textile industry must once again focus more strongly on the value of textiles. by Oliver Schmidt

“Innovation, resilience and international experience remain the great strengths of the Swiss textile machinery industry”

Geopolitical uncertainty, growing competitive pressure from China, new free trade agreements and the shift towards a circular economy are currently reshaping the global textile industry. In this interview, Cornelia Buchwalder discusses the current mood within the Swiss textile machinery sector, the industry’s distinctive innovative strength, new market opportunities in India and Asia, and the technological trends that could shape the upcoming trade fair cycle leading up to ITMA 2027.

ITMF names three winners of the Sustainability & Innovation Award 2026

Three projects from the UK, Korea and China have been selected as winners of the ITMF Sustainability & Innovation Award 2026. The projects address textile-to-textile recycling, chemical recycling for automotive textiles and a regenerative approach combining silk production with ecological restoration.

180 years of TESTEX: From Zurich silk testing to global certification

For 180 years, TESTEX has developed alongside the textile industry while maintaining the same underlying purpose: creating trust through independent and reliable measurement. Founded in Zurich in 1846 as the Zurich Silk Conditioning Institute, TESTEX has grown from a local institution serving the silk trade into an international Swiss testing and certification institute for textiles and leather.

Cascale launches member-led process to shape 2030 strategy

Cascale has launched a member-led process to define the industry alliance’s strategic direction for the next decade. At the Cascale Annual Meeting 2026 in Athens, CEO Ying McGuire announced that members will contribute to an industry system map that will inform Cascale’s 10-year vision, its 2030 strategy and priorities for 2027. The new strategy is scheduled to be finalized in December.

EFI and Agfa’s DPS Business to combine andform a global, full-service industrial inkjet company

Electronics for Imaging, Inc. (“EFI”), a leading industrial inkjet business and portfolio company of Siris, and Agfa-Gevaert (“Agfa”) today announced a definitive agreement to combine Agfa’s Digital Printing Solutions business (“Agfa DPS”) with EFI. An affiliate of Siris will hold a 60% interest and Agfa will hold a 40% interest in the jointly held company, which will bring together the operating capabilities of EFI and Agfa DPS under a governance structure whereby Siris and Agfa will act as equal partners.

KARL MAYER invites the Global Textile Industry to celebrate its 90th anniversary at its German Headquarters in 2027

KARL MAYER is turning its anniversary year 2027 into a milestone for the textile sector. To mark its 90th anniversary, the industry leader is inviting customers, partners, and experts from around the world to a unique event series in September aimed at pushing boundaries, unlocking new opportunities, and jointly setting the course for a new era in textiles – just as KARL MAYER has done throughout its history. The company’s headquarters in Obertshausen, near Frankfurt, is the place to be.