Nike goes Green

Nike thinking Green ahead of the World Cup

When you think about companies who are doing their bit for the environment by creating “greener” clothing it is rather unlikely that sports attire giants Nike would be the first one to spring to mind. However in creating the soccer jerseys for a number of teams (including the USA) for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, which kicks off in South Africa in June, the firm is indeed making a significant contribution to the green movement.

The average soccer jersey is made from polyester, which as a petroleum based product is hardly a very eco-friendly material. The new Nike jerseys (which are also being sold to soccer fans for about $70 a pop) are made from recycled plastic water bottles gathered from landfills in Japan and Taiwan. According to the company it takes eight water bottles to make one soccer jersey and to do so requires 30% less energy than usual.

One of the problems with recycled clothing materials is actually convincing people to wear them in a world that still loves its leather. Will the fact that the Nike jerseys are going to be worn by some of the biggest soccer stars encourage people to give recycled fabrics a chance?

The members of the USA team may not be the biggest names in world soccer but one man who is – the very fashion conscious Cristiano Ronaldo aka the world’s most expensive soccer player – plays for Portugal, another team outfitted by Nike. So if it’s good enough for him.

Nike’s efforts are admirable but The 2010 World cup itself has come under serious fire from environmentalists since they estimate that the “carbon footprint” for this year’s tournament is estimated at 2.75 million tons of carbon dioxide, nine times higher than the World Cup in Germany in 2006 and more than twice as high as the Beijing Olympics. Emission levels are high because fans will have to fly between the host cities and because the nation uses coal for most of its electricity.

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