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Wilson Sporting Goods to make sports balls from sugarcane, recycled bottles

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From CFACT

By Adam Houser 

The sporting goods company Wilson is pursuing new sports balls made from innovative and “sustainable” materials, including sugar cane, recycled bottles, and recycled rubber, as part of something called the “Gen Green” collection.

The company claims the new materials do not compromise on performance of the sports balls but help conserve on materials to help with the environment in the development of the products.

As reported by World Bio Markets:

“‘At Wilson we are always thinking with an innovation-first mindset, and Gen Green is a perfect example of that,’ says Kevin Murphy, Global General Manager for Wilson Team Sports. ‘We will continue to prioritize using even more sustainable materials in our product lines, to have a positive influence on our athletes and less impact on the environment.’

“Made in part with preferred materials, the Gen Green Collection utilizes repurposed plastic, recycled rubber and biobased sugarcane throughout the collection. The biobased I’m green™ material, developed by Braskem, is made from sugarcane through ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA); this material has never been used in sports equipment before. The EVA in the Gen Green collection generates two times less CO2 emissions than conventional EVA. Additionally, select Gen Green products are comprised of the equivalent of at least 2.75 repurposed plastic water bottles.”

Is the development of these materials for sports balls a publicity stunt or does it actually have a tangible impact on reducing the company’s environmental footprint? Only time will tell.

Stay tuned for more updates on this from both CFACT and World Bio Market Insights.

The full story on Wilson’s products can be found via World Bio Market Insights here.

Author

  • Adam HouserAdam Houser
  • Adam Houser coordinates student leaders as National Director of CFACT’s collegians program and writes on issues of climate and energy.