Try this: A rugby shoe made for women | Looking for aid in recycling | Safety Switch | Plastics News

Illona Maher, left, and Adidas' new women's rugby shoe.

The spotlight on women's rugby is getting brighter. The 2024 Olympics in Paris first sparked attention for new fans — aided by U.S. star Ilona Maher who has used social media to build both her own brand and recognition for rugby — and that focus should only continue to grow with the Women's Rugby World Cup up for grabs in August and September.

Female players on both the international competitive circle and weekend warriors will now be able to play with the first rugby shoes specifically designed for women.

Adidas AG says the RS15 Avaglide, introduced June 2, will enhance both performance and safety. The company used its expertise from decades of shoe design and added to that its studies of foot data from rugby players at all levels to determine where to best tweak the women's shoes — also called boots. That includes a narrower heel structure along with a broader forefoot area for women's feet vs. men's. To add support, a set of thermoplastic polyurethane inserts were added to refine the fit.

The work in rugby footwear is similar to previous tweaks to soccer shoes to better fit the needs of a female athlete. A 2020 study from the Yale University School of Medicine indicated a female athletes is more prone to knee injuries than men, potentially due to the biomechanics of a woman's body and how it interacts with the ground during intense play. A better fitting shoe should mean fewer injuries.

"It's a big moment for women's rugby players at all levels — one that will make a huge difference to our comfort and experience while playing the sport," said Maher, who has been a sponsored athlete with Adidas since March. "The game has needed this [shoe technology ]and I'm excited to see the impact this will make for women and girls' players across the globe."

Can regulations save recycling?

During the Sustainable Plastics Live webinar June 3, Sustainable Plastics Editor Karen Laird noted that recycling firms face higher production costs, competition from cheap virgin resin prices and ebbing hopes for a true global plastics treaty. Requirements within the European Union for products to use a minimum amount of recycled material is the best hope to remain afloat.

"Bright spots are pretty hard to find in the recycling industry for the European Union," she told Plastics News Editor Don Loepp in their conversation, archived for viewing by SP and PN subscribers here. "The fact that there will be mandatory content requirements kicking in … if the recyclers can hold on, that will give an enormous boost to recycling."

One of the biggest electronic gaming systems in the world is getting an update this week, but a key to keeping it functional is a thin piece of protective film.

Nintendo even specifically tells buyers of the Switch 2 console not to mess with the film in its instruction manual.

"The screen is covered with a film layer designed to prevent fragments scattering in the event of damage," the online safety wording states, in multiple languages. "Do not peel it off."

The Switch 2 is set to be released June 5. It's not unusual for electronics to come with a protective film coating to make sure items aren't scratched in transit. But the one covering the Switch 2 screen is about safety, not just aesthetics, CNET notes.

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