Ironbull's blog
How green is your grunt and groan?
OK, so I know that I'm not the only one here with a collection of rarely appropriate attire squirreled away in my bottom drawer.
Ahh.... spandex. Proof that god loves us and wants us to wrestle and look fierce in the ring, hot on the beach and sleek in the pool.
Spandex was invented by scientists at DuPont in 1959 as a lighter, more breathable alternative to rubber. In 1972, Speedo sold their first pair of spandex swimming trunks and I, for one, was at the sports shop next day buying my way into a very happy life of glutes, bulges and fine lines that accentuate the male body in a most satisfactory manner.
However, spandex is a petroleum-based material that also releases microplastics into the water supply. As a species we buy a lot of it. Just ask the fish. Or the marketing organisations. Bummer. My lifelong pleasure is fucking up the planet.
I bought some wrestling trunks from elucha.com recently. The sticker on the front of the package revealed a journey through 5 countries and three continents. That's some carbon footprint. Then I discovered that Spandex is a very difficult material to recycle. The synthetic fibers are too short for mechanical processes to sort, and no effective chemical methods yet exist to recover the used material (no, not even baby oil). Some of the larger swimwear manufacturers have tried to go green so that the material doesn't come from fossil fuels and can be recycled, but I strongly suspect that only the big names such as Adidas and Speedo are on that bandwagon. Even they have not found an effective solution; their recycled swimwear feels like wearing a shopping bag with leg holes - eugh. The hard and bulging truth is that there’s no way to strip off one pair of skintight sweaty trunks and recycle them into another. Besides, recycled spandex releases microplastics into the water supply just like brand new spandex. So your worn-out low cut shiny singlet is typically going to wind up in landfill. Or in the ocean.
The big firms are still working on this. Lycra clothing is big business. The industry has to get its house in order or regulations will be required. We only have to look at the news to see how clear and present the danger is. What seems certain is that the day of lycra is coming to an end as it must. I will miss it.
...............
Post script. It's the year 4021. An archaeoligist digs up an ancient mound on the outskirts of what was once London. A year later, an exhibition of early 21st century artifacts opens to the public. A silver lycra wrestling singlet with a slight tear on the left leg hangs in a glass case, gleaming in the gloom of the museum. A small voice asks "wtf?"
Seniorboxer (31 )
8/09/2021 5:00 PMI guess your next blog is about going by bicycle to the fight with cotton shorts and genuine leather gloves? Since last year, I get the feeling that our best times are over. Now with 60, what catastrophe will be next?
Ironbull (94)
8/09/2021 5:09 PM(In reply to this)
A virus that causes pessimism and gloom?
Seniorboxer (31 )
8/09/2021 5:12 PMVirus, flooding in Germany, fires in Greece and Turkey - and yes the virus still dominates our life.
Ironbull (94)
8/09/2021 5:45 PM(In reply to this)
"I have to die. If it is now, so be it. If it is not now, I will have my lunch because it is lunchtime and my death can wait."
- Epitectus
mackemsub (99)
8/09/2021 8:52 PMA new reason to boo those nasty herls Adrian Street and Bobby Barnes.
never mind trying to hurt my hot fave Mick McMichael, all that tinsel, glitter and hair dye is so environmentally damaging!
It was the 1970s
elpectoral (16)
8/09/2021 10:35 PMVery good post full of awareness
Alecmusc (25)
8/10/2021 5:27 AMDown here the green solution is to wear crochet sungas made with cotton threads. Keeps everything, the bulges and the "breathability"
scottimike (26 )
8/10/2021 10:14 AMlike it , a wrestling writer is born
Ironbull (94)
8/10/2021 10:45 AM(In reply to this)
A long time ago in a galaxy far far away
scottimike (26 )
8/10/2021 11:30 AM(In reply to this)
Aye . "Beam me up Scotti , Jim Beamer "
joewrestler (159)
8/10/2021 12:42 PMThis is a great post, Iron. Thanks for sharing. I consider myself very green and all. But never looked to my wrestling and gear collection in that way. Like you said, the gear is stored away and only comes out for wrestling, otherwise I don’t think about it.
Mainewrsl (40)
8/10/2021 10:59 PMI'm with Joe on this. I don't know how many Speedos I have gone through over the decades – I swim regularly – and once they have worn out, which they will, there is nothing you can do with them. I have switched over to all-polyester Speedos (that is, no spandex) which last longer. Do you know if they are a more sustainable option, Ironbull?
Ironbull (94)
8/11/2021 8:11 AM(In reply to this)
My understanding is that the swimwear industry is searching for enviro-friendly solutions, so I assume that means that none of their product offerings presently fit the criteria.
Perhaps we should be offering them second hand rather than throwing away
grappling hooked (33)
8/11/2021 1:36 AMThis backs up my preference to just start my matches nude. :-)
Ironbull (94)
8/11/2021 9:24 AM(In reply to this)
What can I say? Some people like the beef "en croute" ;)
bodycontactau (1)
8/12/2021 12:47 PM(In reply to this)
The Greeks were on to something...
learner71 (50)
8/12/2021 12:30 PMMake it as the Antiques : naked !
Ironbull (94)
8/12/2021 12:48 PM(In reply to this)
You mean the ancient Greek statues? I can't argue with the Greek ideal. But let's face it, spandex is the source of many a happy gear fetishist's pleasure. Besides, some men don't feel comfortable with another man's penis waving in his face.
Woofbound41 (2)
8/12/2021 1:36 PMWhat about Cotton stretch briefs for wrestling in? I prefer to not buy speedos for this reason and use Cotton Stretch Briefs. I know it’s not perfect but I figure it’s a bit more green then traditional speedos.
scottimike (26 )
8/17/2021 2:36 AM(In reply to this)
Some cotton, mainly for the cotton-seed (vege) oil is like corn or maize in north America is now genetically engineered .Though cotton of one or two layers could be good for a match , more sweat absorbent .
Tarzanwild (6)
8/14/2021 1:10 AMPlastics of all types degrade with time and also exposure to sunlight. Some petroleum-based products are more stable than others but I doubt any will be around by the year 4,000. In the ocean, if the material floats up to near the surface sunlight will break it down to simpler compounds. Eventually, it could go all the way to CO2 and other basic carbon compounds. Recycling or responsible disposal is great but there are few facilities for doing this as few, apart from us environmentalists, care about doing it correctly.
Ironbull (94)
8/14/2021 8:21 AM(In reply to this)
I think people do care, and that they care more and more.
Tarzanwild (6)
8/15/2021 9:22 PM(In reply to this)
Actually until other global issues became more pressing, environmentalism was one of my chief concerns. While it's important, I believe that unfortunately people on average are caring a lot less about the environment, greenhouse gasses, and pollution than they used to. I should get to England one of these days. I also have an old sterling silver pound from you guys.
Alecmusc (25)
8/15/2021 5:38 AMThe problem is, not only, the impact all the material we dispose will have in 2.000 years but the effect it has in the ecosystems today. We are disrupting the food chain every where, introducing non food elements in the water, land or eve in the air, we not only poisoning the living organisms all over the food chain we are poising ourselves, since we sit comfortably at the top of the pyramid. Besides, even if sunlight is able to break every large hydrocarbon molecule, the smalls ones are also very damaging. Id id make a funny comment before on a lighter note but, being a scientist and living where I do, environment issues are a constant concern of mine, I do love all Ed's writing and this text is very special for me.
SalzPeter (105 )
8/16/2021 4:29 AMI have to admit that this was the funniest blog I have ever read on MF 😉👍
Keep up the great humour fellas. 👌👍
SalzPeter (105 )
8/16/2021 4:34 AMI actually don't like spandex or any of these new designer "gear" like Under Armour or Aussie Bum competing for everyone's hard earned quid and I'm guilty as everyone else for going out and consuming the latest fad but at the end of the day I find men wrestling in good old fashioned cotton briefs or naked the sexiest and a great sweaty feeling 😉😎👍💪
scottimike (26 )
8/17/2021 3:10 AMYes a gear swap could be an idea like young US wrestlers or other do with singlets .I have an old red British Wrestling Singlet made from wool . Crikey !
Organic jute is a very sustainable material, a great eco-friendly alternative. It's also the longest and one of the cheapest natural fibers. It's the most widely used natural material after cotton for various applications. Fabrics qualities: Affordable; Strong; Durable; Breathable; Lightweight; Environmental impact: Natural and plant-based.
ChrisMitchell (14 )
11/17/2021 4:44 AMI’m gonna start stock piling rolls of good ol’ Lycra® brand spandex. I make most of my own gear any way. Lycra contains nylon. The newer polyester-blend spandex just doesn’t stretch or feel as good.
Then there’s that shine. Nothing shines like Lycra.
I recently learned that the “spandex” name was derived from switching around letters in the word “expand.” I thought that was very clever.
Ironbull (94)
11/17/2021 8:21 AM(In reply to this)
I'm so going to win the next pub quiz lol
scottimike (26 )
11/23/2021 10:15 PM(In reply to this)
Interesting info , and for quiz nights !
scottimike (26 )
11/22/2021 9:12 AMhaha go for it