
After a two-year trial study that showed its footwear could be successfully composted under specific industrial settings, German sportswear company Puma is about to release the commercial version of its experimental Re: Suede 2.0 sneaker.
Puma has improved the design of their trainers and released the Re: Suede 2.0, based on volunteer input and observations from an experiment conducted back in 2022.
500 unique pairs of Puma’s Suede trainers were made for the project utilising materials that were carefully selected for their biodegradability, such as suede that had been zeology-tanned.
Volunteers were asked to wear these trainers for six months and then return them to Puma, so that they could be composted at an industrial composting facility run by Puma’s composting partner.
Customers may return their Re: Suede 2.0 trainers for a refund at the end of their lifecycle. Puma will work with its partners to speed up the composting process and make sure the trainers are disposed of responsibly.
There will be a limited edition of 500 pairs of this commercial version of the shoe available for purchase starting on 22nd April.
Anne-Laure Descours, Puma’s chief sourcing officer said, “Re: Suede 2.0 is an important step towards finding viable end-of-life solutions for our footwear.”
The products of Puma’s Circular Lab include the Re: Suede project and Re: Fibre, the company’s polyester recycling programme. The goal of this innovation hub is to shape the company’s circularity programmes going forward, and it is led by the innovation and design professionals of the retailers.