Brentford are the Premier Leagues kings of sustainability.
Whether its transforming the Gtech Community Stadium into a haven for biodiversity, subsidising fan train travel to cut emissions, or eliminating single-use plastics, Brentford are constantly looking for new ways to reduce their environmental impact and do their bit for the planet. In fact, nobody does it better than them.
Now, the club has taken another innovative step forward in its green journey.
The Bees have unveiled a line of limited-edition, sustainably upcycled shirts - each made from previous seasons kits, reimagined into one-of-a-kind designs.
Created in collaboration with upcycling brand (re)boot and London-based design studio ROW_____Z, every shirt in the collection was handmade using unused stock from the last four seasons of Umbro-manufactured kits.
Adding a unique twist, each shirt is embedded with a chip that can be scanned to reveal its story: where the materials came from, details about the original kits, and further insight into the work of (re)boot and ROW_____Z.
A limited number of the shirts were initially made available at the club shop before Brentfords home defeat to Fulham, and are now on sale via the clubs website for �120 each.
Importantly, Brentford will not profit from the sales. All proceeds will go towards covering production costs and ensuring fair pay for the designers and project partners.
Brentford's sustainability manager, James Beale, said of the project: "Brentford fans care about sustainability, so we wanted to offer them a unique way to support their club and the planet at the same time."
Upcycled shirts have a lower carbon footprint than brand new shirts, so fans that buy from the (re)boot range are making a planet positive decision," he added. "We hope that the range also inspires our fans to try to reuse, repair and upcycle old kit, so we see as little Brentford kit as possible going to waste.
According to the club, over 100,000 tonnes of sports kit are sent to landfill globally each year - equivalent to 951 football shirts per minute, or 500 million shirts annually.
While Brentfords latest initiative may only make a small dent in that figure, it sends a powerful message: even in football, sustainability and creativity can go hand in hand - and every shirt saved is a step in the right direction.
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