Phenix Sport: Ethical and responsible clothing
Marseille invited Phenix sport to present at the CECI Thematic Textiles Workshop 30.3.2021. Olivier Guigonis and Paul Guinard are the co-founders of Phenix Sport, a start-up established in Nice following the first confinement. Their ambition: to make high-quality sportswear, accessible to all, in the most responsible, local, and ethical way possible.
Based on the idea that nothing is lost, nothing is created and everything is transformed, and on the observation that the textile industry is one of the most polluting on the planet, they decided to manufacture sportswear because the sports world consumes a lot of it. They chose to produce equipment using recycled polyester, made from plastic waste collected in the Mediterranean Sea in partnership with the fishermen of the SEAQUAL association. The plastic bottles recovered from the oceans are crushed into polymer shavings that become granules which, once melted, are transformed into threads used to make clothing. The recycling of plastic waste into a new fabric saves 59% of energy and 32% of CO2 emissions compared to the manufacturing of traditional polyester, without altering the quality, technicality, and durability of the fabric.
The garments are made in their partner workshop in Portugal, near Porto, which is certified to Standard 100 by OEKO-TEXT, the internationally recognized label for textiles tested for harmful substances. They work with non-chemical inks. In addition, the workshop has obtained the SA8000 standard of social responsibility which defends decent working conditions, as well as the ISO9001 standard, thus offering a real guarantee of quality.
Next steps
This company goes even further in eco-responsibility thanks to their R-Shape project which consists of collecting, sorting, and recycling used sportswear from clubs, federations, and communities in order to transform it into plastic composite. This material will then be used to make educational sports equipment such as cones and cups that are used extensively in various practices.
Phenix Sport plans to recycle 19 tonnes of shirts in 2022 and 36 tonnes in 2023. Thanks to competitive prices, comparable to standard equipment, many clubs are already attracted by this responsible approach where, at a time of the pandemic, the protection of nature becomes an essential issue. Their commitment to solidarity also deserves to be mentioned.
Contacted by Football Globe-trotters (an association whose vocation is to help young footballers throughout the world to have quality equipment) to collaborate in the creation of a jersey, Phenix Sport decided to set up a partnership. When the jerseys are in too good a condition to be recycled, Phenix proposes to take charge of a shipment of jerseys, shorts, and socks every three months to an Academy selected by the association and recovers the jerseys in too bad a condition to be worn.
