Rugby Football Sustainable Fashion
Over the last few weeks, the Euros have taken center stage. But now they are over it is likely many England football jerseys will be tucked away in drawers. Or perhaps, after indulging in too many takeaway pizzas and beers, some may discard their tops. However, with prices ranging from £84.99 for a basic England shirt to £139.99 with Bellingham 10 print added, discarding them may be a tough decision.
The football authorities and major sports brand manufacturers will be counting their profits. The margins on these garments are certainly enormous, but these generous markups are necessary to pay the football authorities, company shareholders, support staff etc as well as contributing to the equally generous player salaries.
According to STATISTA.COM, Bayern Munich accounted for the highest football shirt sales in the world in 2021. With 3.25 million units sold. Manchester United ranked fourth, selling 1.95 million jerseys. One can only imagine the number sold in relation to the Euros. Rugby teams have much smaller followings, but according to WALESONLINE.CO.UK in the 2013/14 season the Ospreys sold 22,000 jerseys. And were second only to Munster with sales of 32,000.
The Thailand-made England football shirts begin their journey like any football or rugby club tops. When the brand’s design team developed the design concept. In the England design, they added striped sleeve cuffs. Also, neck tape inspired by the tracksuits worn by England’s 1966 world champion manager. Plus the inclusion of the multi-colored St George Cross that caused such furore.
The shirts are made from synthetic materials described as “technology combines moisture-wicking fabric with advanced engineering and features to help you stay dry and comfortable,” which, in simple terms, is polyester or a another man-made equivalent. Each step of this process requires massive amounts of energy, releasing enormous amounts of damaging CO2 into the atmosphere. The scale of this impact is difficult to comprehend.
Brands now regularly design at least three new shirts each season for both football and rugby clubs. With some offering up to five different styles, plus a large amount of additional training jerseys and tracksuits. Each new shirt design triggers the production process of millions of replica jerseys, repeating all these damaging processes. This continuous production is a reason why 10% of global CO2 emissions come from the fashion industry.
Despite the millions of replica shirts sold, millions are also wasted every year. As much as we love a limited edition shirt, brands will not want to be caught short on their stocks for standard home, away, and third shirt releases, leading to regular overproduction. Most of these will end up in landfills, where the non-biodegradable polyester material will never decompose.
The environmental impact of your football or rugby shirt extends beyond the creation and delivery processes. Washing polyester-based clothes has been linked to rising levels of plastic in oceans. Per wash, it is estimated that 700,000 microfibers are discarded from the fabric, with around 500,000 of these polyester fibers being released into the ocean. These fibers damage marine ecosystems, where they can be ingested by animals and enter the food chain.
From start to finish, both polyester football and rugby shirts have a detrimental impact on the environment. However, steps can be taken to counteract or even end these impacts by using natural fabrics farmed in a sustainable manner. Ellis Rugby Sustainable Fashion is an example of a brand taking such steps, emphasising the importance of environmental responsibility in the fashion industry.
Interested in Rugby Football Sustainable Fashion, then email Kevin at info@ellisrugby.com