Wolves Foundation and Reconomy have joined forces to donate a brand-new girls’ football kit made from recycled plastic to a Wolverhampton primary school as part of Wolves’ One Pack, One Planet sustainability commitment.
SS Peter and Paul Catholic Primary Academy ran a month-long in-school competition to collect single-use plastic bottles, amassing over 7,000 across seven participating classes.
The purpose of the project was to raise awareness amongst pupils at the school of the importance of recycling as well as a wider awareness of the environment and sustainability.
The bottles were collected in recycling bins provided by Telford-based waste and resource management business Reconomy – Wolves’ official sustainability partner and back-of-shirt sponsors for the Wolves’ women’s first team.
Once collected, the bottles were then recycled into 30 sports kits to be used by the school’s newly launched girls’ team. The class that collected the most plastic bottles received a guided tour of Molineux as a prize.
A separate competition within the school to create the design of the sports kit was won by Kornelia of Year 3, who was then given the opportunity to attend a recent game at Molineux as a mascot, walking out onto the pitch with the players before the match.
Will Clowes, head of Wolves Foundation, said: “It was great to link up with Reconomy and one of our partner schools for this sustainability project.
“As part of the club’s One Pack, One Planet pledge, we’re committed to educating and inspiring children to protect their environment. This competition certainly captured the pupils’ imagination!”
The kit was delivered to the school by Wolves’ women’s first-team captain, Anna Price, who posed for photos with members of the girls’ football team and answered their questions during a Q&A session.
A few days later the team took part in a school cup competition at Molineux, where they got to try out their new kit for the first time.
Mr Morgan, acting head of school, from SS Peter and Paul Catholic Primary Academy, said: “We are very grateful to have been a part of this project involving Reconomy and Wolves Foundation.
“For us, the emphasis on recycling supports many aspects of our teachings in school including our Catholic social teachings and our geography curriculum. Additionally, this has been a brilliant way to launch our girls’ football team with the idea of the kit being theirs and has helped inspire lots of girls to want to get involved.”
Diane Crowe, head of sustainability for Reconomy, added: “Reconomy is delighted to have been involved in this wonderful project.
“It has been a great opportunity to explain to the pupils the importance of sustainability and explain to them how items and materials that they would typically perceive to be waste can have an extended lifespan in a completely different form if recycled.”
One Pack, One Planet round-up
As part of Wolves’ One Pack, One Planet project, the club has carried out several initiatives in recent months, including:
- All cups on site have now moved to paper or reusable.
- Young Wolves distributed reusable water bottles as part of their membership packs this season which were well received by fans.
- Wolves Foundation redistributed excess kit to local charities and internationally. They also hosted a swap shop session for passing on items like clothing and toys.
- The club has launched a fan focus group on environmental sustainability which held its first session last month.
- The grounds team have planted wildflower beds at Compton to attract wildlife, and also installed a bug hotel.
