The new Manchester United home kit for the 2010/11 season combines elements of the club’s history with new age technology – as every shirt will be made entirely from recycled polyester, each created from up to eight plastic water bottles as part of Nike’s ‘Considered Design’ programme.
Nike’s 'Considered Design' programme aims to create performance products that minimise environmental impact by reducing waste during the design and development process, use environmentally preferred materials, and eliminate toxins.
To make the kits, Nike uses discarded water bottles destined for landfill sites in Japan and Taiwan, where they can take up to 500 years to decompose. This saves precious raw materials and reduces energy consumption by up to 30 per cent compared to conventional fabrics.
The bottles are placed in a large washing machine to clean them and get rid of labels, before they are chopped into tiny flakes and melted down into a yarn that is ultimately spun to make the fabric for the jerseys.
Use of recycled polyester across its new range of club kits means Nike has saved nearly 13 million plastic water bottles, a total of around 254,000 kg of polyester waste – enough to cover more than 29 football pitches, and to stretch over 3,000 kilometres if laid out end-to-end. The process is used for all shirts, whether worn by the players or available to fans.
The improved Nike 'Dri-Fit' fabric, now 13 per cent lighter than previous kits, helps to quickly evaporate moisture by drawing through the fabric to the surface and to keep players dry.
Innovative ventilation zones are placed along each side of the jersey to enhance breathability, by up to 7 per cent compared to previous kits, and allow air to pass across the whole torso. These zones have up to 200 tiny laser-cut holes, backed by Nike’s innovative halo application which prevents ripping without reducing air flow. An additional ventilation zone is placed below the waistband on the shorts at the base of the spine.
The jersey’s new double-knit structure gives it a sleeker appearance, while offering 10 per cent more stretch, and also boasts a new dynamic fit, cut to follow the natural contours of the body while allowing for maximum airflow and movement.
