World cup stars' 100% recycled kits
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They may turn rivals green with envy, but soccer greats Wayne Rooney, Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo will also be going green in eco-friendly kits at the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.
For the first time, 10 national teams - England, Brazil, Portugal, South Korea, Serbia, Holland, Slovenia, New Zealand and the United States, who have all qualified for the finals, and Australia - will sport 100-percent recycled jerseys at the summer spectacular.
The environmentally friendly kits designed by Nike contain recycled polyester and each jersey has been produced from up to eight recycled plastic bottles.
"Nike will give footballers an edge by providing the newest and most innovative products for the game's greatest players this summer," said Charlie Denson, president of Nike Brand. "We will equip 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."
Nike's fabric suppliers sourced discarded plastic bottles from landfill sites in Japan and China's island province of Taiwan, and then melted them down to produce new yarn that was converted into fabric for the jerseys.
This process saves raw materials and reduces energy consumption by up to 30 percent compared to manufacturing virgin polyester. By using recycled polyester for its new jerseys, almost 13 million plastic bottles - a total of 254,000 kg of polyester waste - were saved from going into landfill sites, according to Nike. This amount would be enough to cover more than 29 football pitches.
Despite their humble origins, the shirts are designed to keep players comfortable during the game. They keep players drier, cooler and more comfortable, allowing them to maintain an optimum body temperature and perform at their best on the pitch, said a Nike spokesman.
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