With its authentic, transparent design, NOLT is an eco-responsible, circular sports brand.
Present in large numbers in the Mediterranean, post-consumer plastic waste and marine plastic waste (mainly plastic bottles) are collected in collaboration with fishermen's associations to recycle the material.
These recovered polymer chips are then washed and shredded in Spain with SEAQUAL, then heated to become molten chips and extruded into wire.
In our workshop in Portugal, this yarn is textured and woven into virgin fabric, which finally gives life to the sports equipment we offer (a range of sports shirts, shorts, socks, tracksuits...).
When the jersey design was created by the excellent Clément Thiery (@saintetixx), who offers an exceptional range of made-to-measure graphics, the printing process used was sublimation, which is much more environmentally friendly than dyeing, which requires greater energy consumption. At a high temperature of between 180° and 210° and accompanied by strong pressure, the water-based ink is impregnated directly onto the jersey and solidifies within it to pigment it.
Once ready, these products are sold directly to clubs or via specialized distribution channels.
This equipment will be used by clubs for a number of years, and will need to be changed due to wear and tear, logo modifications or a change of sponsor. That's where the R-SHAPE project, which transforms textiles into cups, comes in, supported by Refashion, the eco-organization for the textile sector in France. At end-of-life, used polyester is collected by Provence TLC, which sorts it by wear category and color. This sorted textile is then sent to MAPEA in the Rhône-Alpes region, where it is crushed and mixed with recycled plastic to make plastic cups that are sold to the same clubs or to local authorities (schools, colleges). These cups could themselves be recycled up to ten times (study in progress).
Every garment sold is recyclable.
1 jersey = 10 cups
10 bottles = 1 jersey
This closed loop is made possible by identifying and working with clubs. This circularity and traceability is the cornerstone of NOLT.
With this unique offering, NOLT has achieved its goal of positioning itself as the most eco-responsible and circular equipment manufacturer on the market in just two years of existence.
Today, NOLT has more than 2,500 jerseys and 1,500 shorts made from recycled polyester, more than 750 jerseys made exclusively from SEAQUAL recycled polyester (around 15% marine waste and 85% post-consumer plastic waste) and hundreds of tracksuits, windproof jackets, socks...
In all, 55,000 plastic bottles were recycled to create sports equipment using over 8,000 m2 of recycled fabric, the equivalent of the pitch at the Stade de France.
NOLT has been working with clubs on a number of projects designed to change the rules of the game.
TFC, for example, allowed us to recover their old kits (shirts, shorts, tracksuits, socks) when they changed sponsors, transforming them into cups for distribution to their partner clubs around Toulouse.
A similar operation was carried out with the RCT: when they changed sponsors, we also recovered their shirts to make cups.
We were also able to recycle the neck rings from the Le Mans 24-hour race into cups.
All these actions enable us to anticipate the EPR law (Extended Producer Responsibility) aimed at combating waste and promoting the circular economy(AGEC), which will come into force on January1, 2023. Extended Producer Responsibility is based on the "polluter pays" principle: companies, i.e. those responsible for placing certain products on the French market, are responsible for the entire life cycle of these products, from design to end-of-life.
The AGEC law radically transforms the system for organizing EPR channels. Today, the aim of the EPR system is no longer simply to treat the waste generated, but also to prevent it. Article L. 541-10 of the Environment Code has been amended, requiring EPR channels to intervenethroughout the product life cycle, in particular by promoting eco-design and extending product lifecycles, as well as supporting repair and re-use.
With 45 clubs equipped to date, 2 clubs involved in CSR operations and 10 partners who place their trust in us, our customers enable us to move the lines and change the rules of the game by becoming real players in the game.
For a long time a simple symbol of belonging, the personalized soccer jersey is becoming an intelligent object, capable of connecting the athlete or supporter to a veritable digital ecosystem.
For a long time a simple symbol of belonging, the personalized soccer jersey is becoming an intelligent object, capable of connecting the athlete or supporter to a veritable digital ecosystem.
