For the city. For our planet. For the oceans. Atlanta United is teaming up with adidas and Parley for the Oceans to address marine plastic pollution with the limited-edition Blue Spirit kit. To celebrate Earth Day and in conjunction with MLS's Greener Goals initiative, Atlanta United is joining clubs all over the league to sport special adidas MLS Parley club kits made with Parley Ocean Plastic, made from recycled marine plastic waste, intercepted from beaches and coastal communities before reaching the oceans.
Once the original plastic material is collected, it's repurposed into performance material for use in either apparel or footwear – in this case, jerseys. The one-time special kits read "for the oceans" on the back neck tape to commemorate the occasion. All of this comes as part of MLS's Greener Goals platform, which also includes MLS WORKS' Week of Service leading up to Earth Day.
"Every second breath we take is generated by the oceans. And still, we are at war with the sea,” said Cyrill Gutsch, founder of Parley for the Oceans, in a statement. “Now is the time to negotiate peace with our life support and to invent our way out of this mess. Soccer can lead the way. It shows what we can achieve with the right balance of creativity, collaboration and technology."
Atlanta United will sport the special-edition kits in their next home match on Saturday, April 20th as they host FC Dallas and raise awareness for the cause on the national stage.
