Recycled-bottle fabric to help Ronaldo, Kaka excel

What will be common in the uniforms of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Wayne Rooney and Dirk Kuyt at the World Cup later this year? The answer: eight plastic bottles.

The team-kits of nine teams participating in the World Cup in South Africa, which starts June 13, was launched at the Battersea Power Station in London last week.

These jerseys are made from eight plastic bottles, recycled into polyester before the final product is delivered. “These are the most environment friendly and technologically advanced jerseys ever,” the creative director of Nike Football, Phil Dickinson told DNA.

“The biggest innovation is the ability for an athlete to personalise the uniform of their choice and it will help them deliver performance the way they want it.”

To make the 2010 national team kits, the fabric suppliers sourced discarded plastic bottles from Japanese and Taiwanese landfill sites and then melted them down to produce new yarn that was ultimately converted to fabric for the jerseys.

“The players understand the science. Type of fabric you use in the jerseys, what are the types of shoes, everything counts in the way you perform on the field. These jerseys are made keeping in mind the varying climatic conditions in South Africa. Each city will have different weather and players have to adapt to that. These jerseys have been made keeping that in mind,” Dickinson explained.

Used more often as a style statement, the kits have been designed to keep players drier, cooler and more comfortable, allowing them to maintain an optimum body temperature and perform at their best on the pitch.

Ventilation zones have been placed on each side of the jersey and they consist of up to 200 tiny laser cut holes.

Each team has a personalised crest, which has been designed after taking in inputs from the players and the national federations. For example, the five stars on the Brazil jersey indicates the five world cup’s they have won.

“We spoke to the players, got their views and decided to do something new and cool with the crests. We’re able to personalise the crest and make them more meaningful,” said Dickinson, further adding,

“Each of the players and Federation they gave us an inspirational phase. We took ideas to a local artist and further built the connection by getting good art work done on it.” Brazil, England, The Netherlands, Portugal, USA, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Serbia, and Slovenia will be the teams wearing these jerseys.