In Tarifa, Spain, the accumulation of invasive algae along the coasts alone has quadrupled in the last year, and cleanup is a costly task that’s becoming increasingly unfeasible for these coastal communities. Under the slogan, Without Blue, There’s No Green, the Real Betis Balompié club’s Forever Green sustainability platform is spearheading a campaign to highlight this environmental issue – one that’s displacing native marine life.

With a new kit. One that is made from the invasive algae that are accumulating on Spanish shores.

The campaign aims to involve the fans in the fight against climate change. The kit, developed by creative agency Officer & Gentleman, is shedding light on the environmental disaster caused by an invasion of the Asian algae Rugulopteryx Okamurae along Andalusia’s Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts – a phenomenon driven by climate change. The massive influx of this invasive species is displacing native marine life and disrupting the natural balance of local aquatic ecosystems. A problem that’s particularly severe in the waters between Algeciras and Tarifa, where the amount of the algae that washes up on their shores has quadrupled in just one year.

Real Betis and Hummel partnered with Parley for the Oceans and textile brand, Pyratex, to create the first-of-its-kind football kit from textiles derived from invasive algae, along with recycled ocean plastics. The kit, which features a design based on the actual Rugulopteryx Okamurae algae, will make its debut on Sunday, February 24 during the La Liga match against Real Sociedad.

Real Betis, that has long held the title as the most sustainable club in Spain, is reaffirming its commitment to the environment through the initiative. To that end, the club will also involve scientists in the campaign to help explain the underlying causes of this ecological crisis and its devastating consequences for the planet.

The Campo de Gibraltar is the epicentre of the environmental crisis. The Andalusian coast, particularly the beaches of Tarifa, has been one of the areas most affected by this invasion, which first began ten years ago. There, a massive temporary landfill has already formed a 40,000-ton mountain of these algae, which are classified as urban solid waste. The transportation, management, and sustainable disposal of which has become financially unsustainable for the local government. The invasion is not only an environmental disaster for the ecosystem in and around the Strait of Gibraltar but also a threat to the economic stability of the region. After all, by covering the seabed, the algae is endangering native species and severely impacting key industries such as fishing.

The new kit was officially unveiled to the public on Thursday, February 6, in an event held aboard a boat in the waters off the Tarifa coast. During the presentation, a team of divers retrieved the kit from bottom the of the Atlantic Ocean in an area covered with the invasive algae. The event also featured marine biologists and representatives from the companies involved in the creation of the kit, who provided media outlets with detailed insights into the project.

Credits:

Agency: Officer & Gentleman
Executive Creative Directors: Javi Iñiguez de Onzoño & Alex Katz
Managing Director: Marta Blanco
Account Supervisor: Zuriñe Ruiz
Art Director: Laura Candon