On Monday the 22nd of April it was Earth Day. With a special theme this year; 'Planet vs Plastic'.
Sport plays a pivotal role in the lives of many and has many benefits for your health. As an example, if you engage in a challenging workout, chances are high that you will have a restful night’s sleep. However, in the process you can also experience a lot of fun and the great thing about padel is that you can even experience fun when you have played a long and intense rally, but don't even win the point.
Sport does have a downside for the earth. And the main downside is the current sportswear offering within the market - mainly made of polyester, or plastic - giving off microplastic with every wash.
So yes, the conclusion is that sports apparel is responsible for polluting the earth with microplastics that are difficult to remove and remain floating around in our ecosystem for thousands of years. And the scary thing is, that these microplastics are not good for the earth, but they inevitably find their way back to us through the food and water we consume and thus infiltrate our bodies without realising it.
A study carried out in the Netherlands in March 2022 found microplastics in the blood of 80% of those tested, with over 50% of that plastic derived from clothing.
What can we do?
We simply need more alternatives to polyester. This will indeed take time, but for such a big change to occur every small step matters. One approach is recycling as this reduces the reliance on new synthetic materials. But, an even better option is avoiding plastic in sportswear production.
The proposed goal of the theme for Earth Day is to reduce plastic production by 60% by 2040 and ultimately build a plastic-free future. You can contribute to this by exercising in alternative/natural sportswear, also helping yourself to live a healthier lifestyle.
And with this, we want to give the theme of Earth Day 2024 an extra P;
Planet vs Plastic.
People vs Plastic.