#Recycling / Circular Economy

2024-07-18

Millions of PUMA football jerseys made with recycled textile waste

Global sports company PUMA has scaled up its textile-to-textile recycling innovation RE:FIBRE, creating millions of replica football jerseys with a minimum of 75% recycled textile waste and other waste material. For the first time, from the start of the 24/25 season, PUMA football replica jerseys* (featuring 35 Clubs), including those for the Euro and Copa América tournaments, are made from RE:FIBRE.

The upscaling builds on the 46,000 RE:FIBRE jerseys produced in 2023 and seeks to not only reduce textile waste, but also to create less reliance on plastic bottles to produce recycled polyester products. To make the upscaling possible, PUMA is exploring diversified ways to recycle polyester – such as thermo-mechanical and chemical recycling techniques enabling PUMA to significantly increase its capacity to recycle textile waste.

“RE:FIBRE gives football fans a tangible example of how PUMA is working towards creating a Forever Better,” said Anne-Laure Descours, Chief Sourcing Officer at PUMA. “Our wish is to have 100% of our polyester products created from textile waste. Rethinking how we produce and moving towards a more circular business model is important and RE: FIBRE is central to that.”

To celebrate this milestone, PUMA will hold a weekend of activities in the New York flagship store, timed to coincide with the launch of the AC Milan and Manchester City home replica kits and ahead of the two PUMA football teams playing in New York City. Fans of PUMA, AC Milan and Manchester City are welcome to get involved and celebrate PUMA’s RE:FIBRE journey in store.

Saturday 20th July 2024

One hundred limited edition badges upcycled from match worn jerseys by Jack Grealish and Christian Pulisic will be up for grabs in-store. The badges have been designed by US upcycler and PUMA Voice of a RE:Generation Andrew Burgess, to commemorate the expansion of PUMA RE:FIBRE.

Sunday 21st July

Andrew Burgess will host three upcycling workshops to educate fashion-curious consumers on the techniques for customising and upcycling clothing to extend their lifespan. Leaning into the crossover between sport and fashion, consumers will have the chance to take a RE:FIBRE t-shirt and turn it into a sportstyle inspired garment.

More information on this can be found here:

https://foreverbetter.com/en/circularity/refibre

PUMA’s sustainability efforts receive ‘Leadership Level’ scores

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RE&UP’s Next-Gen Cotton fibers power Zalando private label t-shirt collection crafted from innovative recycled textiles

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The textile industry’s commitment to circularity continues to accelerate, and mechanical recycling is viewed as a targeted approach to cutting textile waste and its environmental impact. At the forefront of this drive, Uster has developed the Recycled Fiber Matrix, a two-dimensional assessment of mechanically recycled fibers to guide optimum processing and end-uses.

Novel flame-retardant and recyclable fiber-reinforced composite

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Archroma wins ICIS Innovation Award for sulfur dye breakthrough

Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals, has won a coveted 2026 ICIS Innovation Award for Best Product Innovation from a Large Company for FiberColors®. These high-performance sulfur dyes are synthesized from pre-consumer wool waste, reducing industry reliance on petroleum-based inputs while contributing to the circular economy by upcycling unwanted wool that farmers would otherwise pay to dispose of.

YDC 2026 names winners in Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers’ Contest 2026 (YDC) has named its winners at the conclusion of CENTRESTAGE in Hong Kong. Ten emerging local designers presented collections inspired by personal experiences and emotions, translating their ideas through distinctive tailoring, materials and craftsmanship.