What's more, 40% of the power consumed to make these sustainable T-shirts came from wind and solar energy!
It would take a countless years for 1.88 lakh waste PET bottles to perish, considering one bottle can take up to 500 years.
The situation worsens when bottles which can be recycled are disposed of irresponsibly in water bodies and landfills, causing irreversible damage to the environment.
Setting a remarkable example, Tennis Australia (the governing body of tennis within Australia) and NC John & Sons, a garment company in Tamil Nadu, have diverted lakhs of plastic bottles from the landfills.
The Tirupur-based company recycled 1,88,708 PET bottles to make 25,000 garments, including t-shirts, leggings, shorts and zipper jackets for ball kids and courtside statisticians at the Australian Open 2020 that was held from January 14 to February 2.
Confirming the news to The Better India, Sathyan K, General Manager at NC John & Sons, says, “It was one of our former customers in Australia who connected us with the association of Tennis Australia. They wanted a touch of eco-friendly in the tournament. The association visited us in November last year to check our apparels and gave us the order.”
The apparels are made from 100 per cent polyester filament yarn that was imported from Taiwan in white, green and aqua blue. It was knitted and dyed in Surat, after which a team of 100 tailors in Tirupur designed them according to the requirements of Tennis Australia.
The company has described the life-cycle of a plastic bottle, from waste to the final product. Every garment states the number of plastic bottles that were recycled to make it. For example, the t-shirts were made using nine discarded bottles.
What’s more, 40% of the power consumed to make these sustainable clothes came from wind and solar energy!
Founded by Alexander Neroth, NC Johns & Sons’ garment division was started in 1992. From 2007, the company has ventured into sustainable garments. Eco-friendly materials like bamboo and recycled cotton can be found in their apparels.
“We started making apparel with 100% recycled polyester a couple of years ago. Right now, 90% of what we do is sustainable. Soon, we hope to reach the 100% mark,” Neroth told The Hindu.
He also revealed that they recently received an inquiry from an Indian cricketer’s brand regarding recycled bottles used to make t-shirts; it would be a great booster to sustainable fashion in the Indian market, he said.
Whether it is the Cricket World Cup, the Wimbledon or the Olympics, sustainability is slowly manifesting in various sporting events.
Realising the massive amount of plastic and food waste that is generated in any sporting event, the energy consumed to light the stadium and the water used to clean the facility, organisers all over the world are adopting green practices.
Also Read: 9 Reasons That Make RCB the World’s First Cricket Team to Become Carbon Positive!
Taking such events as an example, organisers can promote sustainable living in every sporting event which can go a long way in establishing a greener and cleaner future.
Featured Image Source: Australian Open/Facebook
(Edited by Shruti Singhal)
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