Football shirts made from bottles show young sports fans the value of plastics recycling

Global food company, Danone, and recycling organisation, RECOUP, recently joined forces to encourage the recycling of plastic bottles to young sports fans.

Representatives from RECOUP attended UK regional heats of the ‘Danone Nations Cup’ – the world’s biggest football tournament for children aged 10 to 12 –  in order to promote the afterlife possibilities of plastic bottles, such as those used for water at the tournament.

By using graphic displays and pop-up information, RECOUP showed the children the recycling journey from water bottle to football shirt. They also used a voting system, asking the children a football-related question before placing their used bottles in specially designed collection bins.

“It has been fascinating talking to so many young people and to tap into their passion for sport to inspire a passion for recycling,” commented Anne Hitch, RECOUP Communications Manager. “The idea that a plastic bottle can be recycled into a football shirt really fascinates.”

The plastic bottle collection from the tournament was sent for recycling. The players at the National Finals were also supplied with Nike football kits to wear at the event, made from recycled PET.

Charlotte Broos, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, Danone, stated: “We wanted to take the opportunity of the players’ passion for football to educate them in a fun way about healthy eating, healthy hydration and taking care of the environment.

“We want to encourage them to recycle their plastic bottles correctly, by demonstrating recycled plastic can be used as a resource to produce new items, for example football shirts. RECOUP, with their vast expertise on plastics recycling, were the perfect partner to deliver this and we’re looking forward to seeing how we can take the collaboration further next season.”