Source: PUMA pilots testing for biodegradable RE:SUEDE version of its most iconic sneaker – PUMA CATch up
On Running, adidas, and other programs are tackling sustainability issues with their programs which also include the recycling of footwear. Puma has been working on bio tech options in footwear, but this is the first program where they are testing the full life cycle of footwear:
In partnership with PUMA, participants will wear their RE:SUEDEs for six months to test out the durability of a product using biodegradable materials in real life, before sending them back to PUMA via a take back infrastructure, designed to move the products to the next step in the experiment. The sneakers will then be subject to an industrial biodegradation process in a controlled environment at Valor Compostering B.V., owned by Ortessa Groep B.V., a family-run business of waste specialists in the Netherlands. The goal of this step is to determine if Grade A compost can be produced for agricultural use. The findings will help us assess the biodegradable process and unpick essential research and development for the future of sustainable shoe consumption.
This admirable task being taken on by PUMA has an unfortunate predecessor. In 2012, the brand attempted a similar strategy under the InCycle Collection. At that time sustainability was neither a buzzword or marketing strategy. The brand, who wasn’t performing very well overall, had to end the program due to a lack of demand and because the materials used in manufacturing weren’t satisfactory. The demand is the issue with sustainability claims from brands. When companies produce millions of shoes each year, and manufacturing has been in place for years, it isn’t profitable to change the process, even in small releases. This new Circular Lab RE:SUEDE is a six month test. The goal is going to be to check whether a sustainable option can hold up to the amount of time a customer tends to keep footwear (customers who buy a few pair per year). I hope the brand keeps a tab on this via video and discussion on the site and we can track the success of the program. If Puma can create a sneaker that can go from Suede to Soil and avoid the short lifespan I had with my Saucony RFG Court, which began to fall apart with less then 30 wears, this could be a much better situation.