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Team Sky has unveiled a new eco-friendly kit design for the upcoming Tour de France in collaboration with Sky Ocean Rescue, and has pledged to remove all single-use plastic packaging from its business operations by 2020.
The new kit has been designed to help Team Sky stand out in the peloton, with orcas featuring on the back of the jersey. Riders will also wear a bespoke version jersey, exclusively developed from ocean plastic material, at the Team Presentation.
The team is aiming to raise awareness of this issue and inspire people in the cycling community and beyond to make simple, everyday changes to stop oceans drowning in plastic.
Forming part of Team Sky’s ‘Race to 2020’ campaign, the team’s pledge to #PassOnPlastic is inspired by Sky’s commitment to eliminate all single-use plastic from its operations, products and supply chain by 2020.
Castelli brand manager Steven Smith said: “The Sky Ocean Rescue project has been an impetus for us to find new ways to reduce our use of single-use plastic and to look at our sustainability in new ways.
“We’re testing new packaging with the Team Sky Tour de France kits that will make its way into our collection and potentially save four million polybags per year. We hope that the daily reminder during July will help other companies re-think what they can do to reduce their impact.”
Sir Dave Brailsford, team principal at Team Sky, added: “Sky Ocean Rescue has been at the forefront of a global campaign on single-use plastics over the last year – and it is making a real difference. We are proud to join this important fight to change behaviour and help save our oceans.
“Like all parts of society, cycling must do more to reduce its reliance on single-use plastic at every level. The nature of our sport means we have a special responsibility to the environment and at Team Sky we want to take a lead.
“At the upcoming Tour de France, the Team will be wearing a striking new kit design to highlight the issue to a global audience of millions.
“We want to encourage people across the world to think about their own use of plastic and make changes in their everyday life. We are all in a position where we can make a difference.”
