Puma to launch compostable shoes after a two-year pilot project

After two years of testing, sports giant Puma is ready to launch its compostable shoes dubbed Re:suede 2.0.

Puma will create 500 pairs of the commercial version of the sneaker, which went online available for purchase on puma.com/eu and Zalando Plus this week. The commercial version was created to reflect the experiment’s findings and the volunteers’ feedback.

Puma produced 500 special pairs of its Suede trainers using materials such as Zeology-tanned Suede – chosen for their propensity to degrade – as part of the project, which was completed late last year.

Volunteers wore the Re:suede trainers for six months before returning them to Puma, where they were transformed into compost at Puma’s composting partner’s specially equipped industrial composting facility.

“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.”

The Re:suede project and the polyester recycling programme Re:fibre were developed as part of Puma’s “Circular Lab,” an innovation hub directed by the company’s innovation and design professionals that aims to shape the company’s circularity programs for the future.