The world’s first football kit made from bamboo has been unveiled by a Gloucestershire sports club.
Forest Green Rovers, which has been hailed as the world’s greenest football club by Fifa and Uefa, revealed the green and black sportswear featuring zebra stripes as part of its bid to be more sustainable.
The new kit uses a 50% bamboo mix and is inspired by the animal’s natural camouflage but the club wants to go further and is working with its kit partner, PlayerLayer, to develop 100% sustainable sportswear.
The launch comes in Plastic Free July, a worldwide movement which aims to raise awareness of plastic waste and reduce the use of single-use plastics across the globe.
Club chairman Dale Vince said: “We’ve taken inspiration from nature with our new kit – from the zebra stripes to the sustainable materials.
“I was pretty shocked when I found out that modern sportswear is actually made from plastic – that feels wrong to me, not just from the sustainability point of view, but for performance too.
“Together with PlayerLayer, we’re making strides towards a new approach for football kit – this year’s 50% bamboo is a stake in the ground (no pun intended); we plan to move beyond that. The aim is 100% sustainable high-performance material.”
The kit will be available to purchase in person at the New Lawn for the Bristol City pre-season friendly on Wednesday July 24.
Products will also be on sale from Forest Green Rover’s official merchandise partner, Batemans in Stroud, from August.
Sea Shepherd, the club’s marine charity conservation partner, is featured on the back of each shirt and the plant-based milk brand, Oatly, sponsors the team’s shorts.
