The 2019 US Open ball person uniform by Polo Ralph Lauren is currently made from an average of seven recycled plastic bottles that were converted into a recycled poly-fiber, but Ralph Lauren is aiming to make that state even more fun for 2020 when they plan to use Wilson tennis ball cans recycled from the 2019 event in order to create uniforms for the 2020 tennis season.
“We will take our efforts one step further to create a circular approach where we will collect about 12,000 Wilson ball cans that were used during the 2019 tournament,” says David Lauren, chief innovation officer for Ralph Lauren. “The cans will be recycled and ultimately turned into threads that will make up the fabric for next year’s ball persons uniforms.”
Sustainability has always been key to the Ralph Lauren brand, who have been creating products meant to last for decades. But now the brand wants to integrate sustainability in every aspect.
Promoting sustainable threat at the US Open aside, Ralph Lauren also launched a strategy called Design the Change in June ““where we set out the journey we are on and the goals we have set to become a more sustainable business,” Lauren says. “This work is ongoing, and while we don’t have all the answers or solutions yet, we are committed to collaboration, innovation and action in this area.”
Part of Ralph Lauren’s effort does include the work at the US Open, where the brand has been a uniform supplier since 2005, by changing the thread from virgin poly-fiber to a recycled version.
In all, the brand hopes to divert 170 million plastic bottles from landfills and oceans by 2025.
“Our biggest challenge was sourcing a technology and manufacturing process for making thread from recycled plastic bottles that was scalable for our global business,” Lauren says. “We want to ensure that we’re implementing solutions that can have a material impact across our business and that never sacrifice our quality and longevity standards for our products.”
By the time the 2020 US Open comes around, Ralph Lauren will have increased its effort on sustainability and will have about 12,000 tennis ball cans recycled and made into new US Open uniforms.
