Can recycled rugby balls help sport’s fast fashion-style dilemma?
Rugby balls are set to go green after major manufacturer Rhino announced they will produce balls made of recycled rubber.
The initiative, which is set to be fully in place by the end of the decade, will look to bring an end to a sport’s version of fast fashion, whereby a high churn culture does more damage than recycling what’s already in the sporting ecosystem.
“Sustainability is vital to the future of not just any business, but any sport too,” said Rhino chief executive Reg Clark.
“When you have a market believed to be worth around 11m rugby balls per year, the fact the vast majority of this is made using a non-recycled market isn’t acceptable, and we’re trying to change that.”
“We have to deliver elite-quality balls and we believe our match balls are among the very best in the world, something that’s been supported not just by their performance, but also by the countless kickers who have tested them.”
Most of the world’s rugby balls are produced in India and the recycled product made by Rhino was used in this year’s Varsity Matches, between Oxford and Cambridge at Saracens’ Stone X Stadium this year.
The move comes as all sporting organisations from all assets of the sector look to change the optics bestowed upon them by the public. Many organisations preach sustainability but travel the world unnecessarily. It is an issue sport is beginning to address.
Rugby balls are changing throughout the chain, however, with Aramis – a firm founded in India but now based out of South Molton in Devon – also looking to turn away from traditional production methods in aid of new sustainable ideas.
Many sports and their associated equipment organisations are now committing to pledges to ensure they are greener, more sustainable and better quality as demands from consumers and the mass market turn towards a green future.