English League Two club, Forest Green Rovers, will become the first-ever football club to wear a jersey partially made of coffee waste. Yes, that is correct, the club will don shirts made from using recycled coffee waste as they go green.
The club plan to wear the shirts on Saturday, February 27th against Colchester. The team will sell the shirt during the 2021-22 season allowing fans to own a piece of history. It isn’t the first “green” shirt that Forest Green Rovers have pulled on. They already wear a shirt made from bamboo. However, using coffee waste makes the club “more eco-friendly”. In addition, the shirts are lighter for players to wear during matches.
According to the club, the jerseys are made from a combination of recyclable plastic bottles and coffee grounds. The shirts are fully made up of recycled items and organic material. The new shirts are more breathable than the club’s bamboo material tops.
In 2017, FIFA recognised Forest Green Rovers as the world’s greenest football club. A year later, the United Nations certified Rovers as the first carbon-neutral football club. The club’s partially bamboo-made shirt was introduced in 2019. The club are also known for being vegan as players are served vegan meals. A new stadium is in the works and will be constructed entirely out of wood.
More clubs around the world are wearing shirts made of recycled plastics. Companies from Nike to Adidas are producing products using recycled materials. It isn’t just mega sportswear brands that are making clothing out of recycled plastic. There are a host of start-up companies currently using ocean plastic and recycled bottle plastic to make shirts, jackets, shoes, and trousers.
Forest Green are currently second in League Two and in the fight for promotion to League One. In 2020, Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin became a part owner.