Claiming to be the world’s greenest football club, Forest Green Rovers has unveiled a new super-sustainable playing strip for the 25/26 season, created by its official teamwear partner, sustainability specialist Reflo.
And the new kit’s so sustainable it’s been endorsed by the Vegan Society thus creating “the world’s first fully certified vegan kit”.
Both the home and away strips feature the same bold design, a leopard print pattern inspired by nature.
The new home shirt will be worn for two seasons, “part of a commitment the club makes to reduce waste and lower the burden on fans to purchase a new design every year”.
As well as being vegan certified, the new kit is “powered” by Reflo’s Reloop technology — a fibre-to-fibre mechanical recycling solution that means every shirt is made from recycled monofibre materials and designed to be fully recyclable at end of life.
When the kit reaches the end of its playing days, it will be broken down and remade into new products for a circular alternative to landfill. It’s a practical solution to help tackle the millions of tonnes of textile waste generated by the sports industry each year, Reflo said.
Forest Green Rovers chairman Dale Vince added: “We like to push the boundaries on sustainability issues, including what our shirts are made from because the materials we use to make things really matters. In pursuit of the most sustainable football kit we’ve experimented in previous seasons with both bamboo and with coffee grounds.
“This season our new strip pushes the boundary again – we’ve created the world’s first fully certified vegan football kit, by making sure the dyes we use, which are an often overlooked ingredient, are plant-based.”
Rory MacFadyen, co-founder of Reflo, also said: “This is exactly what Reflo was built for — pushing what’s possible for sustainable performancewear. Partnering with Forest Green Rovers to create the world’s first fully vegan shirt, made from recycled materials with the ability to be recycled at end of life. It’s a milestone moment for us.”
