Manchester City FC players wore special pre-match PUMA jerseys all made from repurposed football shirts prior to their 23 April Premier League game against Watford as part of the sportswear brand’s recycling project called ‘RE:JERSEY’.
PUMA’s RE:JERSEY initiative seeks to reduce waste and mark a path towards more circular sportswear production models in the future and the special, sustainable shirts, worn during the warm-up, were made from 75% repurposed football jerseys and 25% ‘Seaqual Marine plastic’ (a fully traceable raw material made from marine litter).
In terms of the manufacturing and recycling process, the material was created out of old garments featuring logos, embroideries and club crests which was chemically broken down into its main components, filtered for colour and then chemically restored to create a yarn that mirrors the performance characteristics as virgin polyester.
The project was promoted through an integrated marketing campaign led by online video, web hub and supporting content spanning brand and club social channels as well as in-stadium assets.
The initiative was amplified on the pitch when the words ‘Eat, Sleep, City Repeat – 100% RE:JERSEY’ were crafted on the Etihad Stadium pitches’ centre circle in a bright blue patchwork using only recycled materials.
City’s women’s team also wore the pre-match top ahead of their game against Leicester City the following day, while fellow PUMA partner clubs AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund and Marseille also had their own unique RE:JERSEYs created and will wear them in upcoming late season fixtures.
A further strand of the initiative saw PUMA encourage fans to be part of the project by donating old 100% polyester items so they can be involved in the recycling project.
Collection bins were station around the City Store by the Etihad Stadium and take-back bins were located rights across the Etihad Campus vicinity.
“As part of our Forever Better sustainability strategy, we want to take more responsibility when it comes to the end of life of our products,” explained PUMA General Manager of BU Teamsport Matthias Bäumer. “With Re:Jersey, we are taking an important step in garment-to-garment recycling, which will help us reduce waste in the future.”
“Both Manchester City and PUMA have made significant commitments to their respective sustainability agendas that ensure both social and environmental actions work for long-term, tangible change,” explained Manchester City FC Director of Sustainability Pete Bradshaw. “With RE:JERSEY, PUMA is looking for new ways to make sporting goods more circular and we are proud to be able to play a part in this journey, working to engage fans, community, workforce and partners – actively collaborating for a better future.”
Comment
This project builds on other PUMA’s ongoing ecology and sustainability initiatives: indeed its football kits are already made from 100% recycled polyester and the German company aims to have 75% recycled polyester until 2025 for their whole apparel and accessories.
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