#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.

Texprocess 2026: Automation, digitalisation and AI redefine textile processing

Making investment decisions in textile processing has become significantly more demanding. Increasing energy costs, a shortage of skilled labour and ongoing geopolitical uncertainties are compelling companies to focus on technologies that deliver clear gains in efficiency and process reliability. This applies equally to apparel manufacturing and to the processing of technical textiles and high-performance materials. As a result, modernisation initiatives are assessed more carefully – even as the need to upgrade production systems continues to intensify.

Techtextil 2026: Between innovation pressure & market reality

From 21 to 24 April 2026, Techtextil in Frankfurt am Main will once again become the central meeting point for the international technical textiles and nonwovens industry. Running in parallel, Texprocess will focus on the industrial implementation of textile processing technologies as the leading platform in this field. Together, the two trade fairs form a closely integrated presentation and working platform along the entire textile value chain – from material development to finished applications.

Between geopolitical pressure and industrial resilience

In this interview, Dr. Janpeter Horn (VDMA) discusses the current challenges facing textile machinery manufacturers, shaped by geopolitical tensions, regulatory developments and subdued investment. He also outlines why innovation strength, integrated solutions and strategic positioning remain key to global competitiveness.

Hohenstein publishes 2025 Sustainability Report

The testing and research service provider Hohenstein has published its latest sustainability report, outlining key progress and strategic initiatives. The report focuses on ambitious CO₂ reduction targets, the company’s new mission statement and the systematic expansion of sustainable services for customers worldwide.

Global Standard gGmbH launches second public consultation for GRTS Draft 2 for the textile industry (1–30 April 2026)

Global Standard gGmbH is pleased to announce the release of Draft 2 of the Global Responsible Textile Standard (GRTS) for its second public consultation. The consultation will be open from 1 April 2026 to 30 April 2026, inviting stakeholders across the textile and apparel value chain to provide input and contribute to the further development of this new Standard.

Textile Exchange publishes cotton Life Cycle Assessment study to strengthen impact data

Textile Exchange has published the first in a series of seven Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies designed to improve the quality and robustness of environmental impact data for raw material production across the fashion, textile, and apparel industry. The first LCA study focuses on cotton and addresses critical data gaps and methodology variability through new high-quality data across key producing countries. The study includes organic, regenerative, recycled, and country averages for conventional cotton production systems, providing a clearer picture of the associated environmental impact.

Speed and connectivity: Techtextil and Texprocess provided market-ready solutions for industries under pressure

With more than 36,000 visitors and 1,700 exhibitors from a total of 112 countries, Techtextil and Texprocess 2026 demonstrated how innovation comes into industrial use. The convergence of research, industry and application proved to be a breeding ground for new material solutions, manufacturing and processing technologies. Natural fibres, performance apparel, connected systems and AI-driven processing technologies emerged as key growth and future markets.

Italian Textile Machinery heads to Geneva for Index 2026

An important delegation of Italian companies will exhibit at the upcoming INDEX 2026, the world’s leading event for the nonwovens sector, taking place from May 19 to 22 in Geneva (Switzerland). Numerous Italian exhibitors will be present within the Italy Pavilion, organized by the Italian Trade Agency (ICE) and ACIMIT, an exhibition area of over 140 square meters dedicated to the latest innovations proposed by the Italian industry.