We saw the world's first net zero carbon football game at an elite level last year when Spurs hosted Chelsea, and now K-League side Jeju United are set to follow in the Premier League’s footsteps when they play FC Seoul on 2 July. In that match they will wear their new third jersey, made by FILA using plastic bottles collected from around the island.
Jeju island in South Korea announced the bold aim of being completely carbon neutral by 2030, and while that looks to have maybe been a bit on the ambitious side, Jeju United, the island’s K-League football team, are doing their bit in the fight. Named after the ‘Jeju Haenyeo’ a community of women, some aged in their 80s, that go diving 10m under the sea to gather shellfish for a living without the help of oxygen masks, the club’s new third shirt has been created using plastic bottles collected by fans one by one.
The ‘Jeju Haenyeo’ shirt sees a raised collar in a nod to the wetsuits that the female divers wear. The dark grey base is a further acknowledgement of the female diver's uniform, while the orange, the symbolic colour of Jeju, pops through collar, cuffs and sponsor. There’s then a sublimated pattern of the “Tewak" net, used by haenyeo when working in the water. Jeju fans collected 32,153 bottles, far exceeding the target of 10,000.
A Jeju United spokesperson said, "It's a small practice, but when we get together, the power to change the world becomes even greater. We hope that interest and affection for the environment will spread not only to Jeju Island but also to our society through the first carbon-neutral soccer game in the K-League and the regenerative uniform 'Jeju Haenyeo.' In the future, Jeju will continue to make more efforts to increase the value of eco-friendly Jeju Island.”
Club : Jeju United
Player : Jacheol Koo, Changmin Lee, Yeonsoo Yoo
Director : Ilkwon Won of Jeju United
Photography : Harry Ahn
