Wearing art on our sleeves to help start the conversation about climate change
We are proud to unveil our official home strip for 2022-23 and, alongside the traditional blue and white hoops this season, sit stripes!
Last month, we announced a new, progressive partnership with the University of Reading which we hope will help start conversations around the climate crisis and ultimately inspire action.
We can’t do everything, but we can’t do nothing. And by incorporating the university’s ‘climate stripes’ infographic into the design of our new home shirt, we hope to help visually demonstrate to our supporters how temperatures have risen over a long period of time in Reading.
The bold stripe design, which features on the sleeves of the new home shirt, was first created by the University of Reading’s Professor Ed Hawkins in 2018. Each stripe represents the average temperature for a single year, relative to the average temperature over the period as a whole; shades of blue indicate cooler-than-average years, while red shows years that were hotter than average. And the stripes on the home shirt specifically track climate change in Reading across the full 151-year existence of Reading Football Club.
The shirt itself is made from Eco-Fabric – 100% of which comes from recycled plastic bottles! That innovation is part of a wider series of initiatives undertaken by our Official Technical Partner as part of their ‘Macron 4 The Planet’ campaign, which is committed to introducing new eco-sustainable products the the market.
The knit fabric called Eco-Softlock is obtained from a Global Recycled Standard-certified thread made from 100% PolyEthylene Terephthalate (PET) recycled polyester; the equivalent of 13 ½litre bottles produces sufficient polyester yarn to make one of our new shirts.
And, as the material does not lose its characteristics during the process of making a shirt, the kit itself remains completely recyclable.
Notably, the club crest returns after last season’s 150th anniversary branding, the shorts are predominantly white but also carry the colourful climate stripes down the side, while the socks are all blue. But this season’s kit is less about the cut, the collar or colours and more about the message!
The climate stripes have recently featured at London Fashion Week, been seen on the Main Stage at Reading Festival and this summer’s Glastonbury event, and will also decorate the front cover of a new book titled ‘The Climate Book’ written by activist Greta Thunberg. Now, they take a prominent place on the home kit of the football club at the heart of our local community.
Professor Ed Hawkins said, “The climate stripes are intended to start conversations about climate change - and making them visible to thousands of football fans across the country every week brings that to a new audience.
“Support is a powerful thing in football and this collaboration makes it a key theme for the season. We hope Reading Football Club’s fans will push them on to success this season, while at the same time the players and the club will be supporting climate action and recognising the science.”
Tim Kilpatrick, Head of Commercial at Reading Football Club added: “Last week we all endured the hottest day on record in Reading and that heatwave aptly underlines how vital it is to spark a conversation about climate change and environmental sustainability.
“We are not perfect, but this is the start of a journey. We will not aim to change the world overnight. But we want to aim to reduce our carbon footprint as a football club and give our fans the opportunity to come with us on the same journey. Featuring the climate stripes in the design of our home kit is one way we hope to inspire more climate conversations amongst our supporters and our local community.”
The home shirt is available for supporters to purchase NOW via pre-order (online only).
Home Kit 2022-23
Place your order for 5 August
They will be available for purchase in store for the first time from Friday 5 August, the day before our first home fixture of the 2022-23 campaign against Cardiff City.
And the away kit? Watch this space.