Chemical Recycling: How Nike Made World Cup Kits from Waste

Nike is making football kits from 100% textile waste for the 2026 World Cup. Using advanced chemical recycling, the company says these kits are "light, unrestrictive and comfortable" with its Aero-FIT technology, alongside setting new sustainability standards. 

Janett Nichol, VP, Apparel & Advanced Digital Creation Studio Innovation at Nike, says: “Nike exists to make athletes better and our breakthrough Aero-FIT technology delivers the future of our industry-defining apparel innovation in both elite performance and sustainability at scale.”

Advanced chemical recycling

Traditional mechanical recycling has a major flaw. Every time plastic or polyester fibres are melted and re-spun, the polymer chains break down and shorten. Once the material degrades, it becomes too weak for clothing and particularly elite athletic wear. 

Chemical recycling solves this problem, using solvents, heat and chemical agents to break textile waste down at the molecular level. This reverts polyester back into monomers and makes it physically indistinguishable from virgin, petroleum-derived polyester. For Nike's 2026 kits, this virgin-equivalent yarn is what allows it to use highly complex, stitch-specific computational knitting for its Aero-FIT technology. 

Instead of buying bales of discarded PET bottles, Nike has sourced end-of-life garments and factory floor textile scraps. These are then sorted, shredded into smaller pieces and stripped of non-polyester components like zippers and buttons. The shredded waste is then introduced into a reactor with specific chemical catalysts. 

While in this liquid state, impurities like colorants and chemical finishes can be filtered out and intertwined materials are separated and removed. Pure monomers are then combined and synthesised back into polymer chains, and turned into yarn. Nike says it is “setting a new standard for national team kit design: merging pinnacle cooling innovation with time-honoured tradition and bold visions for the future”.

Janett adds: “We’re incredibly proud that our jerseys worn next summer will feel light, unrestrictive and comfortable for an entire match. That’s the kind of comfort that helps an athlete stay completely focused on the competition for 90-plus minutes.”

Venkatesh Alagirisamy, Nike EVP and COO, says: “This is breakthrough innovation in service of athletes, proving that high performance and circularity can move forward together without compromise. From rising temperatures to tougher playing conditions, athletes challenged us to rethink what’s possible. Huge appreciation for the Nike teammates and partners whose resilience, creativity and commitment brought this to life.”

How does Aero-FIT work?

Nike says that Aero-FIT is its “pinnacle expression of cooling technology, capable of channeling more than double the airflow of legacy Nike athletic apparel to help enable peak performance in extreme conditions”.

It adds that it is designed to move more air between skin and fabric, supports sweating efficiency and helps athletes stay dry.

It is Nike’s first elite performance apparel made from 100% textile waste, which helps the brand’s decades-long commitment to reduce its carbon footprint and help athletes adapt to the impact of climate change.

The new cooling technology will debut at the World Cup before extending across Nike’s products.

Other features include:

• Elliptical mesh zones with a unique visual signature
• Lighter mesh that provides greater airflow in high-heat areas

Producing the apparel with 100% recycled textile is made possible through advanced chemical recycling, a circular process that results in recycled polyester yarn that is as good as virgin material.

Graphic elements and prints are engineered directly into the kits – never added on top – ensuring “visual storytelling never trumps innovation”.

The Move to Zero journey

Nike is pushing sustainability through its Move to Zero journey which aims to help protect the future of sport with zero carbon and zero waste targets.

The initiative was established in response to climate change impacting sport, with the number of days above 90°F (32°C) increasing by nearly 25% since the 1980s.

Multiple US states have brought in rules to keep athletes safe in increasingly hot and humid weather conditions by having shorter practice sessions or cancelling games.

Move to Zero’s initiatives include powering Nike’s owned facilities with 100% renewable energy by 2025 and reducing carbon emissions across its global supply chain by 30% by 2030.