Sportswear brand Puma is pulling ahead of the competition in upcycling clothing with its new sustainability initiative. The country has created Re:fibre, a recycled textile material, and is using it to produce millions of soccer jerseys, Creativebrief reports.
Re:fibre is made with at least 75% recycled materials, according to Creativebrief, including recycled textiles and other waste materials. Puma is trying to move away from the model of using plastic bottles to make polyester — instead, it is trying new recycling techniques using heat and chemical methods.
Once the materials have been worked into new Re:fibre fabric, Puma is using it to create replica jerseys of 35 Puma soccer clubs, Creativebrief reveals. Production is up from 2023 when 46,000 jerseys were made using recycled materials.
Upcycling is the ideal fate for discarded clothing, which would otherwise likely end up slowly decomposing in a landfill. While many upcycling efforts are driven by individuals trying to save money and reduce their impact on the planet, it's rarer to see a big-name brand join in and make a difference.
Puma seems to be making a genuine effort. According to Creativebrief, Puma's chief sourcing officer, Anne-Laure Descours, said: "Re:fibre gives [soccer] fans a tangible example of how Puma is working towards creating a Forever Better."
And this is just the start, according to Descours. "Our wish is to have 100% of our polyester products created from textile waste," she continued. "Rethinking how we produce and moving towards a more circular business model is important, and Re:fibre is central to that."
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Puma has also promoted the program at its flagship store on New York City's Fifth Avenue. It held three upcycling workshops about extending the life span of clothes from knowledgeable upcycler Andrew Burgess.
The workshops also featured unique badges that Burgess created from soccer uniforms worn during matches — which visitors could buy alongside whole, signed uniforms — including ones worn by English soccer star Jack Grealish and United States national team captain Christian Pulisic.
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