MAAP Off-Cuts Program - Evade Pro Base Jersey

MAAP has just launched it’s Off-Cuts Program, billed as a sustainability initiative, the idea is that MAAP repurposes excess fabrics from previous production runs into new multi-coloured jerseys to avoid these fabrics ending up in landfill.

Now, I’ve got aa few things to say about this one, so take a deep breath and read on.

First up, we have seen a doubling of global fibre production in the last 20 years with a mammoth 111 million metric tons being produced in 2019 and by 2030 we are looking at 146 million tons. MAAP tell’s me that 31 kg of textiles end up in the bin for every person each year. 31 kilos is a lot. I’m taking a guess here, but i’d be surprised if all the clothes I own total 31kgs. So that’s a massive file of stuff to throw in the bin each year.

So, what are MAAP trying to do here? Well the ‘Off-Cuts Program’ appears to be noble enough. MAAP takes the leftover fabrics in a range of random colours from previous production runs and whips them all together into mix and match style products that you can buy to save those excess fabrics from ending up in the waste.

MAAP’s first ‘Off-Cuts’ jersey is the MAAP Evade Pro Base Jersey below. I think they have done a good job with it. From a looks perspective I’d almost say that if MAAP hadn’t told us it was made out of bits that they found in the parts bin we wouldn’t have even noticed, and instead taken it on as one of MAAP’s latest creations. My first thought when I was the Off-cuts design was a modern taken on the Look patterns of the 80s. Very cool but less bold than the uber cool and super original.

Moving right along I’m going to assume this jersey is pretty awesome, we’ve tested a fair bit of MAAP kit over the years and it has all me sold when it comes to performance and the durability, as MAAP at the high end of quality since day one.

But, here in lies my issue. While it’s all good and well to address the symptoms of a massively consumerism driven world, buying more products that proclaim to be ‘sustainable’ that effectively delay when waste goes to landfill is a tricky beast. Ultimately we are still consuming, we are still buying and chasing the more, more, more is better approach. The reality here is that these products are still being produced and will unfortunately end up in the same hole in the ground one day and whether it is now in a raw state or down the track once they have been used is one and the same thing.

If you are a consumer that is looking to truely save the planet, you’re not going to do it by buying more stuff, not now, not tomorrow, the next day or the day after that. If you want less to go in the waste then buy less. Ask yourself, is that new jersey, knicks or jacket something you actually need or are some of the 52 crammed in you wardrobe perfectly capable of doing the job. Perhaps if we buy less, places will make less stuff and only then will we produce less waste and less emissions from production.

My final thoughts. Nice work to MAAP to look to use up leftovers in a more meaningful way, but I’d like to see the Offcuts jersey’s priced at a lower level to reflect that it’s made from Offcuts that you are otherwise throwing away to point consumers towards it.