Adidas and Parley build a recycled plastic tennis court to float over the Great Barrier Reef

Parley for the Oceans, an environmental nonprofit, teamed up with Adidas to design and construct a tennis court made from recycled materials to float above the Great Barrier Reef in an effort to raise awareness about plastic waste in our oceans.

Founded in 2012 by Cyrill Gutsch, Parley for the Oceans is a nonprofit environmental organization that collaborates with a network of global creators, thinkers, and leaders in a united effort to protect our planet’s oceans. Joining forces with Adidas, the massive clothing brand with headquarters in Germany, Parley designed and built a full-size, sustainable tennis court in the middle of the great barrier reef. Entirely built using recycled materials, Parley for the Oceans is particularly focused on raising awareness about plastic entering our oceans.

Designers: Parley x Adidas

Considering its iconography in regard to climate change, it seems fitting that Parley and Adidas chose the Great Barrier Reef as the location for their recycled tennis court to float above. Stationed atop a barge that makes routine trips across the reef for environmental marine construction projects, the recycled tennis court hosted a few matches between some of Australia’s biggest tennis stars. Following the matches, Parley and Adidas donated the tennis court to a local Townsville school.

Upon collaborating with one of the biggest clothing brands in the world, Parley announced the launch of a new high-performance apparel line designed in part with Parley’s recycled ocean plastic. Inspired by the colors found on the Great Barrier Reef, the 2022 tennis apparel line from Adidas marks a step towards the company’s goal in helping end plastic waste and eliminating the use of virgin polyester from their products by 2025.

Describing the company’s use of recycled plastic, ​​Shannon Morgan, senior director of Adidas’ Pacific branch, says, “We collect plastic from coastal communities before it ends up in the oceans and [we] turn it into yarn. You will see our athletes on the field at the Australian Open from Monday with these garments made with that yarn. We are using a sporting event, the largest on our continent, to truly show the beauty of the coral reef.”

The post Adidas and Parley build a recycled plastic tennis court to float over the Great Barrier Reef first appeared on Yanko Design.

Netflix greenlights a tennis docuseries from the ‘Drive to Survive’ team

Netflix is making a bigger push into sports docuseries following the success of Formula 1: Drive to Survive. We learned this week that a show covering the 2022 PGA Tour and men's major golf championships is on the way, and now the company has announced a similar show covering the world of top-level tennis is in the works.

All three shows are being produced or co-produced by the same company, Box to Box Films. Netflix says the as-yet-untitled tennis series will devote equal time to men and women. The names of the players involved haven't been revealed, according to Bloomberg, but given the high-profile names taking part in Drive to Survive and the golf show, expect the tennis series to feature prominent figures.

Netflix has locked in deals with both tennis governing bodies, the ATP and WTA, as well as the organizers of the four Grand Slam tournaments — the biggest events on the tennis calendar. Given that production has started at the Australian Open, the docuseries could start with some major drama.

On Friday, Australian officials once again revoked the visa of Novak Djokovic, the world's top-ranked men's player, this time "on health and good order grounds." Djokovic, who is unvaccinated against COVID-19, said earlier this month that he was granted a medical exemption to travel to Australia and continue his quest for a record 21st men's Grand Slam singles title. However, questions were raised about the validity of his exemption, and he admitted to making an "error of judgment" by attending public events in December while awaiting the awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test. He tested positive.

Drive to Survive helped to boost the popularity of Formula 1, especially among US viewers. Tennis execs will surely be hoping for a similar effect from the upcoming docuseries. Last year's US Open drew an average of 796,000 viewers, the second-lowest viewing figures since ESPN secured rights to the tournament in 2015.

Netflix greenlights a tennis docuseries from the ‘Drive to Survive’ team

Netflix is making a bigger push into sports docuseries following the success of Formula 1: Drive to Survive. We learned this week that a show covering the 2022 PGA Tour and men's major golf championships is on the way, and now the company has announced a similar show covering the world of top-level tennis is in the works.

All three shows are being produced or co-produced by the same company, Box to Box Films. Netflix says the as-yet-untitled tennis series will devote equal time to men and women. The names of the players involved haven't been revealed, according to Bloomberg, but given the high-profile names taking part in Drive to Survive and the golf show, expect the tennis series to feature prominent figures.

Netflix has locked in deals with both tennis governing bodies, the ATP and WTA, as well as the organizers of the four Grand Slam tournaments — the biggest events on the tennis calendar. Given that production has started at the Australian Open, the docuseries could start with some major drama.

On Friday, Australian officials once again revoked the visa of Novak Djokovic, the world's top-ranked men's player, this time "on health and good order grounds." Djokovic, who is unvaccinated against COVID-19, said earlier this month that he was granted a medical exemption to travel to Australia and continue his quest for a record 21st men's Grand Slam singles title. However, questions were raised about the validity of his exemption, and he admitted to making an "error of judgment" by attending public events in December while awaiting the awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test. He tested positive.

Drive to Survive helped to boost the popularity of Formula 1, especially among US viewers. Tennis execs will surely be hoping for a similar effect from the upcoming docuseries. Last year's US Open drew an average of 796,000 viewers, the second-lowest viewing figures since ESPN secured rights to the tournament in 2015.

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