Making Leaps To Veer Away From Cotton
In the modern sportswear industry that we know today, cotton makes up a huge portion of the material used for much of the clothing sports players wear. Cotton has been part of Western culture for hundreds of years, and was the first material that allowed us to mass-produce clothing that had any sort of decent quality.
Fast-forward to today, and experts are trying their best to dissuade industry from using cotton at all. Cotton is by far one of the most toxic plants on earth when it comes to farming, partly because of the amount of water it consumes, and partly because of the various pesticides and chemicals the plant requires to stay healthy. The problem is that many sports teams tend to use problem, and its wide-use has made it a favourite around the world. Just following any team or online sports site, like online pokies NZ, will show just how reliant the sports world is on cotton.
A shift has started around the world to start moving away from cotton. People are now looking to find more sustainable forms of fabric that would provide all the same benefits of cotton, but without the environmental impacts. To that end, these are the most prominent alternatives right now.
Seaweed
Known officially as Seacell, many believe that seaweed may just hold the answer to the future’s fabric problems. Created in state-of-the-art production plants in Austria, Seacell is designed to be a process that creates no chemicals or waste, and allows for a unique fabric that’s not only comfortable, but also contains antioxidants and Vitamin E which are absorbed by the skin of the wearer.
Seacell’s usage in sports is apparent, as it gives the wearer a boost in vitamins while providing ease-of-use that players have become accustomed to.
Newlife
The aim of Newlife is not to create an entirely new kind of fabric, but instead to take the waste that is produced around the world every year, and to make a fully realised fabric that can be used for any occasion. The 100% synthetic polyester yarn is made from recycled plastic using a unique mechanical method, meaning that we can both have a sustainable source of fabric and a way to reduce the pollution we create every year.
Pineapple Leaves
We’ve all tried pineapple at some point, and whether we like it or not, there are plenty of uses that have been discovered for the fruit – in this case, specifically its leaves. Branded as Pinatex, this fabric is more like leather than cotton, and is made from fibres extracted from pineapple leaves. The leather itself is perfect for colder climate sports, as it has been shown to be an effective insulation material, making it a perfect match for the skiers and snowboarders out there.
Fabrics of The Future
With all the environmental problems we’re currently facing, it’s more important than ever to try and find new and innovative ways to supplement the lives we’re used to on a more sustainable level, such as in sports. These previously mentioned future fabrics may just hold the key for exactly that.