Background on current production process used to manufacture sports clothing
Nearly half of the world’s clothing is made of polyester and Greenpeace forecasts this amount to nearly double by 2030. Why? Increased demand for sports and athleisure if one of the main reasons: an increasing number of consumers are demanding durable, stretchier, more resistant garments.

However, polyester is not a sustainable textile option, as it is made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the most common type of plastic in the world. In short, the majority of our clothes come from crude oil, with over 70m barrels each year required to produce the global demand of polyester. In addition polyester is not biodegradable and will persist in the eco-system even as it eventually breaks apart.

In addition the production of polyester uses harmful chemicals, including carcinogens, and if emitted to water and air untreated, can cause significant environmental damage. As most polyester is produced in countries such as China, Pakistan, Indonesia and Bangladesh where environmental regulations are lax, significant pollution and harm is caused to communities in the vicinity of manufacturing plants.

Lastly, sportswear is increasingly manufactured in the aforementioned counties, where workers rights and conditions have increasingly been called into question. Also by making in remote parts of the world, shipping and transportation to Europe is also required leaving unnecessary carbon footprints in their wake.

What are we doing about it?
Railway has partnered with an exciting new Irish clothing company called Wolfhound and Elk who are helping sports clubs and schools reduce the environmental impact of the sports clothes that they wear.
W&E are an Irish, family-owned company that believe that the production of sportswear should be entirely reconsidered so that it can be done in a more sustainable, ethical & environmentally responsible fashion. Going green does not mean compromising on quality or aesthetics.

The single most important thing you can do to reduce the impact of your sportswear is to buy less. When it is necessary, buy natural or recycled materials, and extend the product's life as much as possible.

However when synthetic products are required, wouldn’t it be great if discarded plastic bottles could be up-cycled & made into fabric? What if, instead of ending up in landfill or polluting our oceans, they could be reused to make something people actually want? Well, they can and W&E in partnership with European based mills create fabric that looks, feels & performs as well as the virgin polyester. By creating fabric in this way, W&E use c.60% less energy, c.94% less water, and do not need oil to be extracted from the ground.

W&E believe in being fully transparent therefore W&E only use certified suppliers from Europe, ensuring that the source plastic is traceable & our carbon footprint is minimized. W&E also take care of the people who make our clothes which is why they are only manufactured within the E.U. by people who uphold the same values we do.
W&E are also fully committed to supporting youth participation in sport, & are working with the underlying clubs, schools & organistations that are growing our country’s pool of sporting talent. W&E strive to work with these organisations so that players & the environment can both be on the winning team.

The first step is that Railway junior hockey will be replacing all their junior playing shirts, socks and training tops with garments made from recycled materials. This season our new Wolfhound & Elk playing shirts, playing socks and tracksuit tops will be made entirely from recycled plastic bottles. We will have full traceability on the source of the plastic bottles and the conditions of the workers used to make the garments.
This initiative is part of Railways new sustainability and environmental programme to make Railway Hockey club and kit Gold and even Greener

https://wolfhoundandelk.com/

What can you do to help?
We are looking for volunteers junior players and parents to help with this and other sustainability initiatives so please contact us
You can replace your old playing shirt with a new environmentally kinder version from our new club shop (expected to be in stock October 2020)