The EPL 2021-22 season has concluded in a dramatic fashion with Manchester City FC bagging all the guts and glory. The Pep Guardiola side has earned all the bragging rights after their emphatic victory over Aston Villa in their final league game to retain the title. Apart from breathtaking football, one major highlight of the impressive City campaign was their sustainability pledge.
The men in the blue partnered with premium footwear company PUMA in their kit recycling initiative. PUMA and Man City collected old football jerseys and recycled them into brand new football shirts as part of Puma’s RE:JERSEY project.
Image: Manchester City
The project aims at promoting sustainability through garment-to-garment recycling. The main objective behind initiating the RE:JERSEY project is to reduce waste and stay in sync with the environment. Foden and folks donned the PUMA recycled shirts prior to their clash with Watford, while the women’s team outfitted the same before their match with Everton.
Image: Manchester City
Noticeably, all PUMA jerseys are made from 100 percent recycled polyester. However, the jerseys worn by City players (both men and women) during the match were made of 75 percent repurposed football shirts, and the remaining 25 percent comes from Seaqual marine plastic.
Pete Bradshaw, Director of Sustainability at Manchester City said;
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. Such an initiative will further open doors for more such recycled projects in the future.
Image: Manchester City
One can also expect to see the sight of special collection bins placed at Etihad Stadium City store from next season onwards. Cityzens (city fans) could use these bins and donate their old polyester shirts and become a part of this garment-to-garment recycling project. As far as the process of recycling is concerned, the garments are shipped to the partner factory, where they are chemically broken down into their main components. The next step involves filtering out the color and the material is chemically put back together to create a yarn.
In case, you too want to donate your kit and be part of this project but have a torn garment, it can still be recycled into a brand new item. If this PUMA-Manchester City collaboration turns out to be a success, PUMA aims to carry forward the project on a large scale via their retail channels and wholesale partners.