With its fully compostable shoes, PUMA has made massive strides towards minimising its ecological footprint.
Due to the success of the experimental RE:SUEDE sneaker, PUMA has redesigned and rereleased a second edition.
Following in the footsteps of the RE:SUEDE, the RE:SUEDE 2.0 is fully compostable under tailor-made industrial conditions.
As part of the experiment conducted in 2023, PUMA produced 500 unique pairs of its iconic RE:SUEDE sneakers with materials selected for their ability to decompose.
Volunteers wore the RE:SUEDE for six months before they returned them to PUMA. These shoes were successfully composted at PUMA's partner facilities.
Due to this success, PUMA will now make 500 pairs of the commercial version of the shoe, RE:SUEDE 2.0. The commercial version has been developed to incorporate the lessons learned during the previous experiment and the feedback received from the volunteers.
"RE:SUEDE 2.0 is an important step towards finding viable end-of-life solutions for our footwear," said Anne-Laure Descours, PUMA's Chief Sourcing Officer.
"While we are excited about this progress, we will continue to innovate with our partners to determine the infrastructure needed for a scalable long-term solution, essential for achieving meaningful impact in waste reduction."
Once the RE; SUEDE 2.0s have been worn out, customers can return them, and in exchange, customers will receive a 20 percent discount on their next purchase.
PUMA will send the worn sneakers to its partners to be put through a specially equipped industrial composting process. The RE:SUEDE project and the novel polyester recycling programme RE:FIBRE were created as part of PUMA's "Circular Lab", an innovation hub led by PUMA's innovation and design experts to create the future of the company's circularity programmes.
Rethinking the way PUMA produces and moving towards a more circular business model is one of the priorities of the company's FOREVER. BETTER. sustainability strategy over upcoming years.
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