Many players will be wearing shirts made of old plastic bottles at the World Cup in South Africa. Nike says they will keep players drier and cooler than previous kit while reducing energy consumption in manufacture by 30 percent compared to normal polyester.
Manufacture of the shirts, which will also be sold to fans, used 13 million plastic bottles the US company said in a media release.
The bottles were melted to produce polyester yarn, which Nike says will ensure the most environmentally-friendly kit ever.
"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," said Charlie Denson, president of Nike Brand.
Nike, which dominates sales in athletics and basketball, is mounting a major campaign to win a bigger share in soccer.
South Africa says carbon emissions from the World Cup are expected to soar compared with the 2006 tournament in Germany but it will invest in carbon credits to mitigate the impact. Nearly seven percent of the emissions will come from air travel to the long-haul destination.
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