As managing editor of PET recycling is getting a lot of media attention today, thanks to Nike's decision to use recycled polyester to make the soccer uniform shirts for all nine Nike-sponsored teams in the 2010 World Cup.
Teams from Brazil, the Netherlands, Portugal, United States, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Serbia and Slovenia all will wear shirts that are each made from up to eight PET bottles.
The news gives a nice bit of public recognition -- all around the globe -- to PET recycling. Check out these stories from London's Daily Mail, and from Fast Company magazine.
And USSoccer.com calls the jerseys the "most environmentally-friendly and technologically-advanced uniform ever produced." (I hope that will translate into an appearance in the championship game).
Does making a few dozen shirts from recycled PET have an impact on the environment? Well, don't forget that many fans will want to buy a replica shirt for their favorite team, and Nike is making those from recycled polyester, too.
According to Fast Company, that means Nike expects to use about 13 million bottles to make jerseys for fans, or about 558,000 pounds of PET.
