Nike made the Super Eagles' World Cup kit out of plastic bottles and we have proof

The official World Cup jerseys for the Nigerian national team, Super Eagles, were made out of recycled plastic bottles - at least 16 bottles per kit.

The jerseys made by American sportswear company, Nike, was first produced for football teams that participated at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

In a report by Recycle Nation website, the football jerseys made from these plastic bottles, have the looks, feels great and impacts the environment even better than before.

Further research showed that this innovative technology had Nike engineering a way to take 13 water bottles (on average) and producing a high-performance recycled soccer jersey.

In 2015, Nike revealed that its kit for the 2015 U.S. Women’s National Team was made using an average of 18 recycled bottles.

“Each piece of the kit — the jersey, shorts, and socks — is constructed with recycled polyester, which is made from recycled plastic bottles that are melted down to produce fine yarn used to create the fabric. [...] Since 2010, Nike has diverted more than two billion plastic bottles from landfills into recycled polyester — enough to cover about 3,500 football pitches. By using recycled polyester Nike is also reducing the energy consumed in the manufacturing process by up to 30 percent compared to virgin polyester,” Nike revealed to Huffington Post.

How plastic bottles are converted into soccer kits

Explaining the process, Recycled Nation website explains that Nike runs a recycling facility, where these jerseys are made.

The process begins with recycled plastic running down a conveyor belt in a recycling facility.

Slowly, the plastic is broken down into threads and pounded into spools, after which the thread is turned into cloth and dyed to fit its future purpose.

Then, the cloth is cut with a special die-cut machine producing the front and back of the jersey.

A Nike specialist reviews the job by placing the trademarked swoosh in just the right spot.

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The Nike logo is then pressed into the jersey in a manner similar to applying a temporary tattoo.

After sewing the final pieces together, a beautiful jersey is made from plastic bottles.

On the Super Eagles Jersey

Nike explained the design of the Super Eagles kit for the 2019 world cup, which also includes the Naija Mercurial 360.

“Designed with performance in mind, the home and away kits feature breathable new VaporKnit technology for reduced weight and cling, while cooling zones mapped to the body's hot spots help keep athletes comfortable on the pitch. Outer seams have been removed from the shorts, reducing friction and increasing range of motion,” Nike explained on its website.

Nike also hinted that the 2018 Nigeria Football Federation collection features Fast Fit Vaporknit kits to facilitate speed through performance and aesthetic.

Explaining the reason behind the Naija Mercurial 360 football boots, Max Blau, VP of Nike Football Footwear said: “This new innovation hugs the foot and eliminates the gaps between the foot and the soleplate. In fact, it eliminates the soleplate altogether."

Nike’s Football Senior Design Director, Jeongwoo Lee hinted that the boots allow the players to run faster.

“Mercurial players tend to be very fast so that “M” is the last thing defenders will see when a Mercurial player blows by them,” says Lee.