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Thomas Müller
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How dirty is the laundry washed during the World Cup?
According to research by the weekly newspaper "Die Zeit" and the media start-up "Flip", at least the German World Cup jersey is not as clean as the manufacturer Adidas claims.
According to this, a new national jersey separates an average of 68,000 fibers in the first five washes.
"That's really impressively bad," said Elke Fischer, head of the microplastics research group at the University of Hamburg: "These fibers end up with the wastewater from our washing machines in the sewage treatment plants, which are not able to filter it all out.
So it goes via the rivers directly into our seas.«
Adidas has set itself the goal of largely switching to recycled materials by 2024.
"Our long-term goal is to completely do without plastic as a material - to protect our seas, our planet and all of us," says a statement from the group on the cooperation with Parley for the Oceans.
The environmental protection organization collects plastic waste for Adidas on “remote islands and on beaches as well as in the coastal regions of the Maldives”.
Adidas advertises its products, including the national jersey, with the claim »Made with Parley Ocean Plastic«.
Shocked boss
Confronted with the research, the sporting goods manufacturer said: The plastic waste used for the national jersey comes from Thailand.
A country in which Parley for the Oceans does not operate at all.
"If the allegations are true, I must insist on the resignation of the responsible managers at Adidas in order to continue the partnership.
Otherwise I have to question the contract," said Cyrill Gutsch, head of Parley for the Oceans.
more on the subject
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Child labor in the Philippines?
The researchers also looked at another part of the Adidas supply chain, which Adidas says has nothing to do with the national jersey.
There, in the Philippines, Adidas collects ocean plastic that, according to the sporting goods manufacturer, ends up in other Adidas textiles.
In this supply chain, school-age children collect plastic waste, which they then sell to Adidas suppliers.
Adidas explains that they do not tolerate child labor and that they check compliance with these requirements on a quarterly basis.
During the last review of the suppliers mentioned in November 2022, "no signs of the employment of minors" were found.
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