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Running to recycling
Creating athletic gear from plastics
Karen =
Goldberg=20
Goff (Contact)
Tuesday,=20
January 20, 2009
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Running enthusiast Jeremy=20 Litchfield got his inspiration for a business after sweaty, red dye = started=20 oozing from his new workout gear.
"I had just started training for a marathon," Mr. Litchfield says. "I = went on=20 a run on a typical hot, humid Washington day. When I started to sweat = heavily,=20 the red dye dripped from the shirt all the way down to the lower half of = my=20 body. I thought, 'What kind of chemicals are being absorbed into my = body?'"
Several, it turns out. Mr. Litchfield did some research into how most = polyester performance gear -- which is designed to wick sweat away from = the body=20 and dry quickly -- is made. He says he found the amount of petroleum, = heavy=20 metals and chemical-laden dyes needed to produce such shirts = unacceptable.
![3D""=20](3D"http://media.washingtontimes.com/media/img/photos/2009/01/21/20090=)
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Atayne Sportswear business partners Jeremy Litchfield = and Mike=20 Hall jog at Roosevelt Island. They recycle plastic bottles into running = gear as=20 an alternative to chemical-laden performance clothing. (Joseph = Silverman/The=20 Washington Times)
Mr. Litchfield and a business partner, Michael Hall, soon founded=20 Arlington-based Atayne Sportswear and are hoping their shirts made from = recycled=20 plastic bottles will be big sellers among environmentally conscious = runners.=20
"Plastic bottles and polyester are both No. 1 plastics made from the = same=20 chemical compounds," says Mr. Litchfield, 31, who has an MBA from = American=20 University and a marketing background. "You can break down the plastic = from the=20 bottles and build it into polyester yarn."
A plant in Vancouver manufacturers the shirts, which bear = environmental=20 messages such as "Run Hard, Tread Lightly." Atayne began selling the = shirts last=20 summer -- $38 for short-sleeve and $44 for long-sleve. The shirts are = sold via=20 their Web site (www.atayne.com), at races and they are working on = getting a spot=20 in local running stores.
In addition to using plastic bottles for the shirts, Atayne also has = added a=20 new textile derived from coconut shells. It replaces chemicals often = embedded=20 into yarn for speedy drying, odor control and SPF protection, Mr. = Litchfield=20 says.
Bryon Powell, a local runner and running blogger (http://blog.irun = far.com),=20 says he tested an Atayne shirt on a typical, Washington summer day and = found it=20 performed just as well as chemically treated models during a long run. =
"After some use, it doesn't smell any worse than technical shirts = that are=20 treated with silver or antimicrobial chemicals," he says. "In other = words, it is=20 a fully functioning tech shirt that comes without a hint of the guilt = that comes=20 from buying a petroleum-based shirt, and the wearer is not exposed to = any=20 potentially nasty chemicals."
Mr. Litchfield says Atayne also is trying to build a reputation as a = socially=20 responsible company by giving back to the running and environmental = communities.=20
Marathons and other races can be big garbage spots, with lots of = crumpled=20 paper cups, water bottles and orange peels littering the area. Atayne = has=20 gathered "Team Atayne" to work as recycling and trash volunteers to try = and=20 corral some of the garbage.
=20
Jeremy Litchfiekld wearing a running shirt with his = company's=20 motto on it. He recycles plactic bottles into running gear on Jan. 16. = (Joseph=20 Silverman/The Washington Times)
Team Atayne members worked at four races in 2008, and has more = planned for=20 2009. At a race in Gaithersburg, they ran at the back of the pack, with=20 recycling bins placed in jogging strollers and picked up trash as they = ran.
"The most impressive thing about Atayne is how they honestly put the = planet=20 first," says Andrea Vincent, marketing director for RunTerra, which = organizes=20 environmentally conscious races. "They aren't just trying to sell = shirts. They=20 truly, deeply want to help the environment."
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