100% recycled plastic bottles.
Did you know ... ? Nike jerseys: 100% recycled plastic bottles
During the recent World Cup in South Africa, Nike outfitted nine teams (including Australia) in clothing made of recycled PET bottles. The same clothing can be bought from Nike retailers. Each jersey, made entirely from recycled polyester, is made from up to eight bottles. Nike announced:
“To make the 2010 national team kits, Nike’s fabric suppliers sourced discarded plastic bottles from Japanese and Taiwanese landfill sites and then melted them down to produce new yarn that was ultimately converted to fabric for the jerseys.
“This process saves raw materials and reduces energy consumption by up to 30% compared to manufacturing virgin polyester. By using recycled polyester for its new range of national jerseys, Nike prevented nearly 13 million plastic bottles, totalling nearly 254,000 kg of polyester waste, from going into landfill sites. This amount would be enough to cover more than 29 football pitches. If the recycled bottles used to make the jerseys were laid end to end they would cover more than 3000 kilometres, which is more than the entire coastline of South Africa.”
Further reading
Ling K. 2010. Recycled plastics industry scores ‘gooooal!’ at World Cup. New York Times 9 July.
Nike. 2010. Nike introduces 2010 national team kits designed for increased performance with lower environmental impact. Press release 25 Feb.
Nike Store. Dutch Official Away Men’s Soccer Jersey.