Duke, UNC to Wear Recycled Uniforms

UNC, basketball, jersey, uniform, University of North Carolina, Carolina, college, Nike, Nike platinum, platinum, Nike platinum uniform, recycled uniform, recycled

Photo: Nike Inc.

Nike released its new “platinum” uniform line on Wednesday to be worn by nine of the nation’s top men’s and women’s college basketball teams for one game each later this season, the company announced this week.

The fabric of the Nike Hyper Elite Platinum shorts is made from 100 percent recycled polyester, while the jersey fabric is made from at least 96 percent recycled polyester, the company said.

The athletic-wear company doubled its use of recycled polyester last year, using approximately 440 million PET plastic bottles – enough to cover 12,000 basketball courts, Nike said.

READ: NBA Hosts Second Annual Green Week

Men’s teams to don the recycled uniforms in 2012 include the University of Arizona, Duke University, University of Florida, University of Kentucky, Syracuse University, University of Connecticut and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Both Baylor University and UConn‘s women’s teams will also rock the uniforms at select games this year.

Like the non-traditional uniforms that have become commonplace on college football fields, “platinum” jerseys vary slightly from schools’ traditional color palettes. So, you may have to do a double-take to figure out which team is which. But the bright-colored uniforms are sure to stir up some eco fun on the court.

The uniforms will hit the hardwood beginning late-January for some of the oldest and strongest rivalries in college basketball. To catch the jerseys in an upcoming game, tune into one of these scheduled dates, including UConn vs. Notre Dame (Jan. 29), Baylor (women’s) vs. Texas A&M (Feb. 11) and UNC vs. Maryland (Feb. 29).

READ: Green College Football Champions Announced

  1. Matt Saling

    posted on January 31st, 2012 at 7:47 pm

    Great article, but can I just suggest a VERY important change to the title of this story... The No. 1 Ranked Team in the Nation, University of Kentucky, to Wear Recycled Uniforms. Subtitle: Lesser Teams, Duke, UNC, to follow.
  2. Lauren L. Bunch

    posted on February 17th, 2012 at 2:42 am

    Clever. It'd actually been a reasonable statement if UK had won a championship since 1998.
  3. Asimwe Oben-Nyarko

    posted on February 15th, 2012 at 1:49 am

    nicceee!

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