Sustainable Soccer Jerseys at the World Cup

Flickr Creative Commons/Shine 2010

Plastic bottles in Japan and Thailand will be shortly finding themselves a new home on the backs of the world’s best soccer players during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Teams wearing Nike jerseys will be sporting T-shirts made out of 100% recycled polyester from approximately eight plastic bottles, according to Fast Company. 

Environmentally savvy soccer lovers will also have the chance to check out Nike's shirts--the brand is using 13 million plastic bottles to produce jerseys for fans. All in all, Nike's initiative will stop 254,000 kg of polyester waste from being dumped in landfills.

Among the teams to put plastic on their backs will be five-time winners Brazil, Portugal and the USA. Despite construction, the shirts are designed to keep players dry and cool during game time.

Hannah Jones, Nike’s vice-president of sustainable business and innovation, told the Guardian, “The link between sustainability and Nike as a growth company has never been clearer and there is a real business case to be made for making Nike a more sustainable company.”