This sneaker brand is now making shoes from recycled airbags

Airbags are a crucial vehicle safety component and have saved countless lives. But ever wondered what happens to those used airbags once the job of saving lives and preventing serious injuries is over? A component that is mostly thrown once used will now be used by sportswear brand Asics to manufacture a range of shoes.

In a collaboration with Japan's Toyoda Gosei, Asics plans to make use of the fabric from deployed airbags to manufacture shoes that are possibly stronger and more durable than shoes made from conventional materials. A new shoe model made from airbag fabric has been called Asics Gel-Sonoma 15-50 with its red stitching and numbering carried forward from the airbag.

The Asics Gel-Sonoma 15-50 is only available in Japan at the moment and costs 16,500 yen or approximately $128 or ₹10,500. And while its exterior portion largely depends on fabric from used airbags, its other components are quite standard.

At a time when car manufacturers are looking at more sustainable ways of manufacturing, upcycling and recycling has taken centerstage. In this regard, making use of thousands of airbag fabrics for shoes could go a fair distance in ensuring these airbags don't get thrown to the bin as these have been for years now.