PUMA x FIRST MILE: Puma Have a New Sportswear Collection Made From Recycled Plastic

Marquisto

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posted on 4 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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Puma has partnered with First Mile for this, and the environment is a big concern. This initiative will support micro-communities in many countries.

Puma, the global sports brand, has announced a new line of sustainable sportswear collection, called the PUMA x FIRST MILE. This new collection will have shoes and apparels that are made from recycled yarn that is derived from plastic bottles. First Mile is a producer of recycled polyester sourced from plastic refuse such as bottles that are collected in low-income communities. Puma says that the collection includes pants, tees, shorts, jackets and shoes, and will include between 83% to 100% more sustainable yarn. This collection is now on sale at Puma.com and at Puma stores as well as retailers worldwide, including India.

“Even though one of the key benefits of this partnership is social impact, the PUMA and First Mile program has diverted over 40 tonnes of plastic waste from landfills and oceans, just for the products made for 2020. This roughly translates into 1,980,286 plastic bottles being reused,” said Stefan Seidel, Head of Corporate Sustainability for PUMA. “We hope that whoever buys this collection feels good about this purchase, not just in terms of choosing something that uses sustainable material, but knowing that those entrepreneurs in the First Mile are being connected to this product because it’s their material going into it,” said Kelsey Halling, Head of Partnerships at First Mile.

Turning plastic into raw materials for apparels and footwear has been in vogue for a few years now. Puma now joins the likes of Nike and H&M to rely more on recycled materials. First Mile will be collecting these discarded plastic bottles from streets, canals and landfills in the towns in Haiti, Honduras and Taiwan. This collection prevents these plastic bottles from ending up in the oceans. These are then cleaned, shredded and turned into yarn. This is a part of Puma’s 10for20 initiative which began in 2016 and includes social compliance through the chain including core suppliers, climate change, zero discharge of hazardous chemicals from the entire supply chain, and water as well as air emission guidelines that must be met by all suppliers.