I find myself buying more plastic water bottles than I’d care to admit. While I always make a point of recycling them, and even refill them a few times, I’d be naïve if I said I believed this was an eco-friendly approach to water consumption. Of course, I’ve tried reusable bottles, but I always manage to lose them or forget them at home.
Yes, I’m aware that this is a personal struggle rooted more, perhaps, in laziness than in anything else. However, plastic drinking bottles are as ubiquitous as they are convenient. Unfortunately, this leads to quite a lot of waste and pollution.
While consumers like myself come to terms with their own dependence on plastic bottles, major companies are taking steps toward sustainability that cater to both environmental need and end-user satisfaction.
Just yesterday, the Denver Broncos debuted New Era’s latest 9FIFTY and 9TWENTY caps. The new caps use Repreve fiber, an eco-friendly material made from recycled plastic bottles and designed by Unifi—a sticker on the caps states that each is made using four recycled bottles.
As the New Era Cap is the official on-field hat of the NFL, it will be interesting to see whether other teams choose to use hats made with Repreve fiber. It is important to note that this is not the first time an NFL team has collaborated with Unifi/Repreve. In 2014, the Detroit Lions practiced in jerseys made from the recycled fiber.
The NFL especially seems to be at the forefront of sustainable promotional practices, whether through eco-friendly apparel options such as the Repreve-made New Era hat, or through recycled event banners used to make tote bags. Hopefully, this trend will continue as more end-users look for sustainable options in the apparel and accessory items they purchase in support of their favorite teams.
Meanwhile, I’ll try to cut down on my plastic bottle use—at least until the Philadelphia Eagles come out with their own sustainable apparel options. While I applaud the Broncos for their environmental consciousness, I wouldn’t be caught dead supporting another team in this city, especially after last week’s game…
For any Denver fans now reading this, please forgive me for the cheap shot. I couldn’t resist. After all, you’ve got us beat in one important statistic.
