We all love soccer shirts - whether we wear them as athletes or fans. They tell stories and connect us with our favorite teams. But in 2023 alone, the 10 biggest European soccer clubs sold almost 20 million jerseys. 3,500 tons of petroleum-based plastic. We want to change that.

Polyester is cheap and practical. That's why the sporting goods industry is so dependent on it. Everything is made of plastic. Even jerseys. One jersey causes around 5 kg of CO2 emissions, which is why those 10 clubs alone are responsible for around 100,000 tons of CO2 - comparable to the emissions of a medium-sized airline. And every year, new jerseys are produced for home, away and special editions, often under questionable conditions. Produced for small change, sold to loyal fans for 10 to 20 times as much. And because conventional recycling cannot reuse polyester without a loss of quality, the majority of jerseys end up in landfill sites in Africa or are incinerated.

But what if we made jerseys from plant waste instead of petroleum? At WINQS, we have done just that and developed the Biospeed™ jersey. It cuts emissions by over 80% and uses 77% less water. What's more, the functional material can be molecularly recycled, which means it can be processed into new jerseys again and again without any loss of quality. It also means we are not dependent on cheap crude oil, which autocratic regimes use to enrich themselves.

How does it work? WINQS uses a material called NILPLA®, a so-called polylactide, which was developed in collaboration between Nil Textile and Brno University of Technology. It can be made from various plant residues, such as corn or sugar cane waste. Two processes are available to recycle the material perfectly: molecular and thermomechanical recycling. Both use no water and save 77% of energy compared to the production of raw material.

The plant residues for PLA come from European and US farmers and are kept in a continuous cycle. The yarn is produced in Germany, while the production of the NILPLA® fabric and the sewing of the end products take place in the Czech Republic. Recycling takes place in the Netherlands or Italy.

So will WINQS now be producing soccer shirts? Probably not. We are a running brand and use this material for running shirts or tanks. But our aim is to further develop the entire sports industry. And in order to not only point out problems, but also offer solutions, we develop such projects, which we are happy to make available to established partners who want to join us on this path.

However, sustainable change will not only lie in a new plant-based and circular fabric. Because there will never be one "sustainable" jersey. Every product consumes resources and has to be manufactured and broken down. The scene therefore needs to consider whether this overabundance of jersey production is really necessary. Do new jersey designs have to come onto the market every year? Do all jersey variants have to be made from polyester or could fan jerseys not be produced from more sustainable materials?

The solutions are finally here.