From the most T-shirts worn during a half marathon to most T-shirts folded in one minute, the work that goes into setting Guinness World Records (GWR) isn’t simple. And the latest record set is anything but that.

In March, three Romanian organizations (Asociatia 11even, Kaufland Romania, and Federatia Romana) broke the record for the largest T-shirt, which just happens to be made from over 500,000 recycled plastic bottles.

Credit: Guinness World Records

T-shirt Details

The T-shirt, measuring about 357×241′, was born out of an effort to encourage more people to recycle, according to GWR. It took more than three weeks to collect the bottles for the T and a month for seamstresses to construct it.

The shirt design is a reinterpretation of the national flag, featuring a tricolor belt that’s seen on the jersey of the Romanian rugby team.

Asociatia 11even spearheaded the project as part of a recycling campaign and enlisted supermarket Kaufland Romania for help in collecting the plastic bottles.

Record-Breaking Day

On the day of the record attempt, more than 120 volunteers from rugby clubs in Bucharest gathered at Arcul de Triumf National Rugby Stadium to unroll the T-shirt on the field, which took an entire day.

While unrolling the massive T, there were some hiccups, including trouble anchoring the sleeves. Engineers and some special straps solved the issue, and specialist surveyors took the T’s measurements. Evidence was verified remotely by Guinness World Records Adjudicator Joanne Brent, and the trio of companies received the official certificate in late April.

Following through on its sustainability efforts, Asociata 11even aims to donate 12,000 standard-sized shirts made from the giant garment.