NIKE’s inter milan 2021 kits kick carbon using recycled plastic bottles

NIKE continues to kick out carbon with the launch of the new sustainable FC internazionale milano (inter milan) 2021 kits. the home strip is dressed in the club’s iconic nerazurri (blue and black) stripes as if snakeskin, and the away version continues the serpent-theme with one sliding over a white base. both of the new soccer jerseys are made with at least 95% recycled polyester fabric salvaged from recycled plastic bottles. it is another triumph in the sportswear giant’s move to zero initiative as they produce one of the world’s most supported football team’s shirt in a more environmentally-friendly fashion.

to mark the latest revolution towards NIKE’s goal of carbon neutrality, designboom delves into the sustainability of inter milan’s 2021 kits with seana hannah, vice president for NIKE innovation.

made from over 95% recycled plastic bottles, this production process is reflected through the design’s pixeled, pelleted print
all images courtesy of NIKE

‘I began my NIKE career as a store athlete at NIKE town portland and that’s where my keen interest in listening to the voice of the athlete was born. from that point to today, it’s always been about those daily interactions and constant dialogues with athletes, understanding what they need, and – ultimately – how we can deliver innovation that makes them better,‘ begins seana hannah, vice president for NIKE innovation.

to meet the needs of professional athletes, NIKE’s design of inter milan’s 2021 kit began in the lab. the sportswear giant captured performance data from over 300 footballers, tracking specific movements to the sport and understanding its evolving demands. this included analyzing elements from where players’ sweat to how the fabric stretches over muscles. applying the same principles used in NIKE flyknit footwear, precision knitting reinforced wherever needed while heavily venting areas prone to heat. each shirt is knitted with 55% faster wicking, 13% more breathable and has 10% more stretch than previously.

the home strip’s pattern resembles a snakeskin – a nod to milan’s symbolic serpent or biscione

NIKE’s revolutionary football kit for inter milan combines this high performance with a production philosophy that reduces environmental impact. the jerseys are made from at least 95% recycled plastic bottles. in comparison, recycled polyester cuts carbon emissions by up to 30% compared to virgin polyester. with NIKE diverting one billion plastic bottles from landfills and waterways a year, these are collected, cleaned, melted down into pellets and then spun into high-quality yarn for manufacturing.

‘it is important for us to increase usage of low-carbon alternatives for the materials in our products without compromising style or performance. sustainability can’t come with compromises, and our goal is to come up with more sustainable solutions that are better for the athlete,‘ explains NIKE’s innovation expert. ‘innovating these solutions is the first critical step, but scaling those learnings is where we drive true impact. since 2010, we’ve worked to implement more sustainable solutions for our top clubs and federations as well as for our fans and everyday athletes. today, most NIKE football kits are made with 100% recycled polyester.‘

a hand-drawn snake print meanders across the front and back of inter milan’s away shirt

this sustainable production process has been shown on the 2021 inter milan shirts in an irreverent way. for the home strip, a pixeled royal navy and black pattern that forms a modern interpretation of the team’s iconic stripes. the reinterpreted nerazurri hints to its plastic pelleted yarn construction as well as resembling a snakeskin. this is an ode to the coiled grass snake or biscione, an important historical symbol for the city of milan and the club.

the snakeskin is colored in the club’s iconic nerazurri strip

the significance of the serpent takes a more literal resemblance on the away shirt. on top of a white canvas, a hand-drawn snake print meanders across the front and back with the same nerazurri pattern of the home jersey. the blue and black biscione stands out even more so with the plain white shorts and socks to pair.

‘a jersey acts as an emblem of pride for fans. we work closely with our athletes and club partners to ensure our product, from the on-pitch apparel to the lifestyle collections, are all a true reflection of the club and athletes they represent,‘ adds seana.

recycled plastics began to be weaved into NIKE soccer shirts as early as 2010. for the brand, fundamentally no planet means no sport. this definitive has set their path to eliminating waste and carbon emissions to protect the future of sport. this initiative, called move to zero, looks to design to positively affect the environmental. waste materials are transformed into new products, existing products are manufactured more sustainable, and even internal processes are accessed to perform more sustainably. NIKE sees its role as the protector of global sport – and this means the environment too. the home and away inter milan 2021 kits further help the sportswear giant to kick the carbon.

‘NIKE has the climate impact of a global city. that’s a big responsibility and opportunity for us to re-think everything we do and look for opportunities to innovate. for example, packaging makes up approximately 30% of our total waste footprint, so it’s not enough to just make the inter jersey itself more sustainably, we also need to ship it to customers in a way that’s more sustainably. we can do this in a lot of ways, but one way is to move away from plastic air pillows in our shipments, which has cut about 90,000 kg of plastic annually from our waste stream,‘ concludes seana hannah, vice president for NIKE innovation.

plastic bottles are collected, cleaned, melted down into pellets and then spun into high-quality yarn