BeijingMay 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As green consumption becomes mainstream and the low-carbon transformation of the industrial chain accelerates across the board, sustainable development has evolved from a corporate “bonus item” to a “mandatory question.” As a pioneer in the ESG field of China’s sporting goods industry, Xtep Group has always embedded the concept of sustainable development deep within its brand DNA. On the occasion of the 57th World Earth Day, Xtep, in collaboration with Aihuishou, launched a series of environmental protection initiatives for Earth Day 2026, focusing on three dimensions: product low-carbonization, activity contextualization, and strategic long-termism. From a pair of champion running shoes made from recycled plastic bottles, to a nationwide public welfare practice combining “running + city cleaning,” and then to an ESG systematic layout adhered to for nine consecutive years, Xtep answers with long-termism, allowing running to coexist with the Earth.
Protecting Nature’s True Colors with Technology: Xtep 160X 7.0 PRO Earth Day Colorway Unveiled
This Earth Day, Xtep’s champion running shoe family adds a new eco-friendly creation with the launch of the new 160X 7.0 PRO Earth Day colorway. The shoe features a light green main tone accented with glacier white, echoing the vitality of nature and conveying the concept of circular regeneration.
The upper is made from recycled PET plastic bottles, crushed and reshaped for breathability and comfort; the accompanying TPU film is 100% recyclable. Eco-friendly materials account for 56% of the total weight of the shoe upper. In previous 160X series eco-friendly models, bio-based materials accounted for over 20%, achieving a carbon reduction of 12.7g per shoe, fulfilling the low-carbon commitment with real data.
In terms of professional performance, this shoe maintains champion-level standards: it is equipped with an XTEP ACE+ dual-density supercritical foaming midsole, offering strong rebound and durable shape retention; the full-length GT700 gold carbon plate uses aerospace-grade PI fiber, boosting propulsion by 8%; the upgraded XTEP DURA technology outsole improves slip resistance by 38.5%, achieving both carbon reduction and speed enhancement, allowing professional sports and ecological protection to coexist in harmony.
Run and Pick It Clean: Xtep’s “Run Clean Future” Creates a New Eco-Friendly Family Scene
Running is Xtep’s brand DNA, and picking up litter is the most basic environmental action. Combining the two elevates daily exercise from burning calories to “lightening the load” for the planet. During Earth Day, Xtep once again joined hands with Aihuishou, launching an eco-friendly plogging public welfare parent-child run under the theme “Return to New Life, Run Clean Future,” integrating sustainability education into families and extending green concepts from the classroom to the outdoors.
The activity features a 3.24-kilometer closed-loop route, where parent-child families proceed in the form of “jogging + litter picking.” Along the way, interactive waste sorting stations are set up, allowing everyone to learn while running, and pick up and sort while moving. Upon reaching the finish line, children can collectively weigh the litter they have collected, recording their environmental achievements. Subsequently, parent-child families, carrying sorted recyclable waste, head together to the Aihuishou Beijing recyclable materials sorting plant to observe firsthand how plastic bottles, paper, metal, and other different wastes are each placed in their proper places, understanding the process of recyclables transitioning from mixed disposal to sorted organization.
This is a unique experience of “doing environmental public welfare while wearing Xtep eco-friendly shoes and clothing.” Through the immersive experience of “running + picking + learning + recycling,” Xtep hopes to make consumers truly feel that environmental protection is a daily action that can be worn on the body, practiced on the road, and participated in with one’s own hands. When every bend to pick up litter lightens the load for the planet, the green concept transforms from a brand advocacy into a lifestyle habit that all people can participate in. This is not only the implementation of the sustainable closed loop of “participation-recycling-regeneration-research and development,” but also a deep resonance of brand values between Xtep and its consumers.
Leading the Green Track with Long-Termism: Xtep’s Nine-Year Commitment and Advancement in ESG
Sustainable development is not an overnight achievement but a long-term responsibility throughout corporate development. As a benchmark for ESG practices in China’s sporting goods industry, Xtep has always integrated social responsibility into the entire chain of R&D, production, and consumption, promoting green development and industrial symbiosis through systematic layout and normalized actions.
As of now, Xtep has published ESG reports for nine consecutive years, solidifying its responsibility foundation through transparent disclosure. Thanks to its solid performance in areas such as climate action, circular economy, and supply chain management, Xtep has become a leader in ESG practices in China’s sporting goods industry. In 2025, Xtep officially joined the ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) organization, advancing green production to higher standards; simultaneously, using the Xiamen Marathon as a benchmark, it created 100% recycled polyester race uniforms, providing a practical model for the industry’s green transformation with real, quantifiable carbon reduction cases.
In the global wave of green transformation, Chinese sportswear brands must not only be leaders in product strength but also doers in sustainable development. In the future, Xtep will continue to use technological innovation as an engine and the ESG system as support, persistently creating high-performance, low-impact eco-friendly products, building green scenarios that are participatory and replicable, and perfecting the entire green chain of R&D, production, consumption, and recycling; responding to the national “dual carbon” goals with concrete actions, adhering to the original intention of responsibility with long-termism, allowing running and ecology to coexist, and writing a new chapter in the sustainable development of Chinese sportswear brands.