The VTB announced the new basket ball in the upcoming season. The official statement is the following:
SIBUR and Wilson, a world leader in tennis and team sports equipment, presented the first ecological basketball made from recycled plastic bottles. This will be the official ball of the VTB United League in the upcoming season.
Sergei Ivanov, Special Presidential Representative for Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport; Dmitry Konov, Chairman of the Management Board of PJSC SIBUR Holding; and TV host Ivan Urgant participated in the presentation held during the VTB United League All-Star Game, which brought together Russian basketball stars, politicians, businessmen and public figures.
The ecoball features the same qualities as a professional basketball and fully meets FIBA criteria. The inner part of each ball is created from a material, which uses a high-tech process to recycle two 1.5 liter plastic bottles.
This initiative is part of the Russian Federation’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Sort Right campaign, which is focused on developing and introducing best practices for recycling and popularizing proper waste practices among the population.
Since 2017, the VTB United League, with the support of SIBUR, has promoted the Basketbottle ecological initiative as part of the Sort Right campaign. Special baskets in the shape of a basketball hoop have been placed throughout the League’s Russian arenas for fans to dispose of empty plastic bottles during games. The collected bottles are sent for recycling and the materials are used to create consumer goods, packaging, road materials and other in-demand products. Creating the ecoball was the logical next step in the campaign.
VTB United League president Sergey Kushchenko:
– Our honorary president, Sergei Ivanov, introduced the focus on ecology in the League. For us, it’s important that our consistency is a good example for other league and companies. We managed to introduce recycling at our arenas as well as take the next step and use recycled plastics in our daily life. Players are very picky about basketballs: It’s an extremely important element of the game. We carefully tested the ecoball and it fully meets our high standards.
Chairman of the Management Board of PJSC SIBUR Holding Dmitry Konov:
– We are striving to do our part to instill ecological awareness within society by taking a more responsible approach to the use of waste products. From an ecological perspective, one of the main advantages of plastic is that it can be nearly 100% recycled and reused. The ecoball is a vivid example of how plastic, which has already been used, can create new useful and interesting products.
General director of Amer Sports, exclusive Wilson representative in Russia, Tatyana Vetrova:
– The Wilson brand has long been known for its active participation in ecological initiatives. Partnering with SIBUR to create a unique product for our long-time partner–the VTB United League–is a wonderful example of cooperation between two different businesses, united by the concept of ecological consciousness. Very soon, balls similar to this one will be available from Wilson in specialized retail and sporting goods stores in our country.