Innovation Friday:
Clever, Sustainability-Focused
Products that Save Lives
Things we love: Recycled fabric in PUMA shoes and training gear helps feed families and educate children
February 21, 2020Things we love: Recycled fabric in PUMA shoes and training gear helps feed families and educate children
February 21, 2020We have no control over the circumstances we’re born into. Any of us could have just as easily popped into this planet in a family who collects trash for recycling for a living, where education is a luxury. But the world is shrinking. And technology is advancing. Meaning the shoes you buy in Paris could feed a family in Haiti. Or educate a child in the Taiwan. PUMA is teaming up with First Mile to make this a reality.
First Mile is an incredible organization, at the forefront of sustainability. Created to help others, while at the same time reducing plastic waste, the clever concept is catching on with brands across the world, allowing the organization to help more and more families in need.
We’re super excited to announce our new partnership with First Mile, featuring a sportswear collection made from recycled plastic, rooted in social impact and human connection. The shoes and apparel in the collection are made from recycled yarn manufactured from plastic bottles collected in the First Mile network.
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. The more we can connect that last mile with the first mile, the easier this sustainable movement will be able to continue.
Stefan Seidel, Head of Corporate Sustainability for PUMA says of the collection:
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. The pieces from this co-branded training collection range from shoes, tees, shorts, pants and jackets—all the apparel is made of at least 83% to even 100% from the more sustainable yarn sourced from First Mile.
The collaboration with First Mile is part of PUMA’s commitment to reduce its environmental impact and live up to its code of being “Forever Better”.
The innovative, sustainability-focused first PUMA x FIRST MILE training collection will be available starting February 21st, 2020, in PUMA.com, PUMA Stores, and selected retailers worldwide. Count us in!