Forest Green Rovers and Reflo reveal world’s first vegan trademarked football kit

The world’s first fully vegan football kit has been certified by The Vegan Society.

Forest Green Rovers (FGR), on its mission to be the most sustainable football club in the world, will wear the bold new kit from the start of the ’25 to ’26 season.

Alongside official teamwear partner, Reflo, FGR has worked closely with The Vegan Society to make sure the new kit meets all the criteria necessary to carry the Vegan trademark, The Vegan Society’s internationally recognised vegan product certification standard.

Both home and away kits carry the trademark and feature the same striking design: a leopard print pattern inspired by nature.

The new home shirt will be worn for two seasons, as part of a commitment Forest Green Rovers makes to reduce waste and lower the burden on fans to purchase a new design every year.

As well as being awarded The Vegan Society’s trademark, the new kit is powered by Reflo’s pioneering Reloop technology, a fibre to fibre mechanical recycling solution that means every shirt is made from recycled mono fibre materials and designed to be fully recyclable. When the kit reaches the end of its playing days, it will be broken down and remade into new products, giving fans and players a true circular alternative to landfill. It is a practical solution to help tackle the millions of tonnes of textile waste generated by the sports industry each year.

Dale Vince, chairman of Forest Green Rovers, commented: ‘We like to push the boundaries on sustainability issues, including what our shirts are made from, because the materials we use to make things really matters. In pursuit of the most sustainable football kit we have experimented in previous seasons with both bamboo and with coffee grounds.

‘This season our new strip pushes the boundary again. We have created the world’s first fully certified vegan football kit by making sure the dyes we use, which are an often overlooked ingredient, are plant based. Our new shirt is also fully recyclable and will be turned back into future items by Reflo. I am really pleased to unveil our bold, bright new kit that is inspired by nature and helping nature – that is pretty fabulous.’

Alex Markland, senior account manager at The Vegan Society, added: ‘This is another exciting development in The Vegan Society's relationship with Forest Green Rovers. We have been working with Dale and the team for eight years and have awarded our Vegan trademark certification in a number of areas of the club's operations but this kit is the first in the world to be certified vegan and is the most visible demonstration yet of Forest Green Rovers' pioneering approach to sustainability in football.’

Rory MacFadyen, co-founder of Reflo, said: ‘This is exactly what Reflo was built for: pushing what is possible for sustainable performance wear. Partnering with Forest Green Rovers to create the world’s first fully vegan shirt, made from recycled materials with the ability to be recycled at end of life. It is a milestone moment for us. FGR has led the way in showing football can be a force for good and we are proud to help them take another step forward with a shirt that looks amazing, performs at the highest level and helps keep kit out of landfill for good.’