Taipei, July 8 (CNA) Taiwan may not have qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup taking place in Russia, but the island-nation has frequently had a presence in the high-profile international football tournament thanks to football jerseys made from yarn it produces using recycled PET bottles.
At least half of the 32 national teams attending the Russia World Cup were suited up with the environmentally friendly kit, including the teams of England and Belgium, which have made it to the semifinals, according to information from Taiwan's Environmental Protection Administration (EPA).
Teams sponsored by the international sportswear brand Adidas, including those from Belgium, Argentina, Colombia, Egypt, Germany, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Sweden, Spain and Russia, as well as teams sponsored by Nike, including England, Brazil, Portugal and Saudi Arab, all wore jerseys made using Taiwan techniques, EPA data shows.
Administration official Lee Shou-chien (李守謙) said the Taiwanese businesses that produce yarn from recycled PET bottles supplied the material for the production of jerseys worn by at least those 16 national football teams.
Among them, the four Nike-supported teams were all suited up with clothes made in Taiwan, Lee noted.
In 2014, when the previous World Cup Finals took place in Brazil, there were foreign media reports that highlighted environmentally friendly made-in-Taiwan jerseys, which were worn by 10 national teams that year.
Some reports praised Taiwan's environmentally friendly textile techniques for helping the country "win the World Cup," not on the pitch but in the dressing rooms.
