Nike designed new gear to keep athletes cool in a warming world
is a senior science reporter covering energy and the environment with more than a decade of experience. She is also the host of Hell or High Water: When Disaster Hits Home, a podcast from Vox Media and Audible Originals.
Nike is showing off new performance apparel today that it says it designed with climate change in mind. It introduced its new Aero-FIT performance cooling technology today, which it says will make its debut in football kits Nike federations wear in 2026.
The company claims the technology boosts sweating efficiency by allowing for more air movement between skin and fabric. In contrast, stuffy uniforms can impede the body’s ability to cool itself down when sweat evaporates from skin. Aero-FIT will allow for more than double the airflow compared to the brand’s existing athletic apparel, Nike says. The new material also be made entirely from textile waste, which addresses another climate problem since synthetic fabrics are made from fossil fuels.
The next FIFA World Cup takes place in 2026, and already there are concerns about the risks that heat exhaustion could pose to athletes and fans in the audience. Games will be held during the summertime across Mexico, Canada, and the US. Of the 16 cities hosting games, 14 are expected to be susceptible to extreme heat during the World Cup, the BBC reports.
“Today’s athletes are competing in a hotter, wetter world — and Nike is helping them set the pace,” Nike’s announcement today says.
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