Nike’s fabric suppliers made use of 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.
The company unveiled the new national team kits with several footballers at a global media event at Battersea Power Station in London. The national team kits represent an important step in the process to make all Nike products more sustainable, the company said.
Nike claimed that 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, totaling nearly 254,000 kg of polyester waste, from going into landfill sites.
Charlie Denson, president of Nike, said: ”This summer in South Africa Nike will give footballers an edge by providing the newest and most innovative product for the game’s greatest players.
“With today’s announcement, we are equipping athletes with newly designed uniforms that not only look great and deliver performance benefits, but are also made with recycled materials, creating less impact on our environment.”
