Home → Blog → Polygiene StayFresh → Prioritising Sustainability in Sport – TSV Trudering Club’s Inspiring Eco Initiative
Alongside promotional product specialists Kingly, Polygiene® recently distributed 560 towels to the children of the TSV Trudering sports club. Every towel featured our innovative Polygiene StayFresh™ odor-control solution, so they can be washed less frequently, reducing the amount of water and energy families consume.
Polygiene and Kingly teamed up with the Munich-based sports club to launch an initiative that saw every child receive a TSV-branded towel as a present. Emphasizing sustainability and a mindful approach to festive gifting, the sports club wanted to offer its kids something durable, useful, and environmentally friendly that encourages them to rethink and adapt established behaviors. And maybe help out mums and dads, too!
The initiative was the brainchild of Polygiene’s Global Category Director of Sport & Outdoor, Markus Hefter. As a father of three children and a handball coach at TSV Trudering, Markus has first-hand experience of the mountains of laundry kids’ participation in sports generates. However, he was also in a unique position to do something about it.
In his role at Polygiene, Markus was able to organize a collaboration with Kingly to provide the club with branded towels with built-in Polygiene StayFresh™ odor control. Polygiene StayFresh™ prevents the spread of odor-causing bacteria in textiles, keeping products fresher for longer and ensuring you don’t have to wash them as frequently. In turn, this reduces the amount of water, energy, and time you consume cleaning your textiles – which benefits both customers and the environment.
“Preserving vital resources is a core value for all of us at Kingly. We have been using Polygiene StayFresh™ for years when producing upcycled sports socks and activewear for our clients. When we received Markus’ request to supply the towels, we immediately decided to partly sponsor the initiative. As a company that is leading the way in providing sustainable award-winning products for the promotional industry, we wanted to contribute to Polygiene’s environmental savings even further”, said Rob Armour, CEO and Founder of Kingly.
He explained that the towels meant as presents for the TSV Trudering sports club have the highest earth-friendly score validated by BCome’s Cradle to Gate sustainability platform. The branded gifts produced at Kingly consist of 70% organic cotton and 30% Recycled PET Polyester, according to the Global Recycled Standard. Normally, 41 litres of water go into the production of a single towel and 3.50 kg of CO₂ are emitted. Thanks to Kingly’s best practices 84% of that water is saved and 27% of carbon emissions are prevented from polluting the atmosphere.
Typically, the club’s towels are washed after every use. However, Polygiene StayFresh’s™ antibacterial, odor-control qualities enable you to skip every other wash. Based on a wash in a standard 6kg washing machine, this saves:
Assuming the kids use the towels 100 times a year (that’s just under twice a week), the club will save:
So far, the Polygiene x Kingly towels have helped the kids save a remarkable 40,320 liters of water. And we are just three months into the year.
Laura Gabler, Head of the TSV Trudering KidsClub department, highlighted the importance of its younger members being aware of the environmental consequences of their actions. “The club wants the presents to be things the kids can use in their daily lives. The Kingly x Polygiene towels meet the criteria. Their philosophy of environmental sustainability is really convincing and impressive. We were very happy about the support from those two global brands this year!”
Parents of the children involved have also been enthusiastic. “It’s great that our child is active in sports. But I really don’t like all the laundry that comes with that. Polygiene StayFresh™ technology works perfectly. The towels stay fresher for longer and I can confidently skip at least every other wash. I often wonder how much laundry, time, and money I would save if all the club’s sports equipment was treated with Polygiene StayFresh™”, shared Dani K.
Other parents have been so impressed with the towels that they have started looking for Polygiene solutions in other products. “I decided to actively pay attention to Polygiene technology and buy products equipped with Polygiene solutions whenever possible. It just makes sense for me and the environment.” Stated Alessandra F.
The Polygiene x Kingly x TSV Trudering collaboration demonstrates that even seemingly small contributions have a significant impact. By creating products that enable families to skip every other wash, Polygiene and Kingly are reducing energy consumption, saving parents time, and contributing to a more sustainable society.
The Polygiene For Mindful Living philosophy encourages manufacturers and customers to consider the effects of their actions on the environment. We hope the TSV Trudering initiative introduces this idea to a whole new generation of athletes.
