| Highlighting the Characteristics of a Plastic-Free Ecosystem |
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MIAMI (April 18, 2023) – Inter Miami CF returned to the ocean to launch the Club’s adidas One Planet jersey alongside a great hammerhead shark, completing a three-part campaign to promote responsible plastic use and the positive impact it can have on our ocean habitat. In addition to the one-of-a-kind digital marketing campaign, the Club is teaming up with University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science to raise awareness about the importance of sharks to the ocean ecosystem and participate in shark conservation. The Inter Miami CF First Team will wear the limited edition One Planet kits on Earth Day, April 22, on the road against the Houston Dynamo at Shell Energy Stadium. For the last three years, Inter Miami has partnered with Major League Soccer, adidas, internationally acclaimed underwater photographer Jason Washington, and Cayman Islands-born freediving model Coral Tomascik to highlight the League-wide One Planet (formerly Prime Blue) campaign with a mission to raise awareness on plastic pollution. In each photograph, the model poses underwater while wearing the Inter Miami One Planet jersey, made from recycled plastics. The process of taking ocean plastics and turning them into performance materials progresses through four key steps: intercept, shred, melt, thread. adidas intercepts plastics directly from the ocean in high-risk environments, shreds the plastics, melts the plastics and then finally threads the plastics into material that can be used to create performance products. Through this process, the jerseys are made entirely from recycled ocean plastic. Inter Miami CF’s One Planet campaign was developed to garner attention through eye-catching imagery to promote the responsible use of plastics, both in reducing our plastic waste and recycling plastic when possible. If everyone does their part, the ocean can be clear and free of waste and the ocean ecosystem can rebalance. “The One Planet initiative is special to our Club. This year we wanted to complete the trilogy with Jason and Coral alongside the ocean’s apex predator as a symbol of a healthy ecosystem, which is the ultimate goal of One Planet. We’re grateful for adidas and MLS for continuing to work with us towards that goal,” said Mike Ridley, Inter Miami CF SVP of Brand and Marketing. In year one, the Club dove 100 feet underwater in the Cayman Islands, highlighting the crystal-clear landscape to symbolize the cleaner, brighter future we can achieve when focusing on recycled materials and sustainability. In the next installment, Inter Miami visited the world-famous Stingray City to depict that when the oceans are kept clear of plastics, wildlife returns. In this final chapter, Inter Miami included the ocean’s apex predator, the shark, in the iconic imagery. It is well-known within the environmental community that when sharks are present, it is a positive sign that the ocean ecosystem is in balance. They not only maintain the species below them in the food chain, but also indirectly maintain seagrass and coral reef habitats. Inter Miami CF One Planet jerseys are available for purchase beginning today on MLSstore.com and at the DRV PNK Stadium Team Store beginning on Saturday, May 6 while supplies last. Inter Miami will reveal Information on the shark tagging research efforts in the coming weeks. ### |
