The PUMA Re-Suede shoe is made from 100% recycled materials

Sep 21, 2011 15:36 GMT  ·  By

The sustainable version of the Suede sneaker issued in 1968 has recently been introduced by PUMA, looking to offer customers living an eco-friendly lifestyle their own take on vegan footwear.

The PUMA Re-Suede‘s synthetic suede material uses 100 percent recycled polyester fibers and it is produced using a chemical recycling process that reduces the energy consumption and the CO2 emission by 80% compared to the production of virgin materials.

The outsole is made from Double R Rice Rubber, which replaces a portion of the rubber content with a rice husk filler, reducing the overall rubber needed and saving considerable fossil fuel energy in manufacturing and agricultural resources.

The footwear is also said to be incredibly light weight, which means they can also help reduce the fossil fuels needed in transport, saving 15 tons of carbon emissions for every ten-thousand pairs shipped.

The new sneakers are to be sold in PUMA’s Clever Little Bag, the company’s new sustainable packaging that has replaced the traditional shoeboxes.

PUMA, the third largest sportswear company in the world, is among the four clothing giants to commit to Greenpeace’s Detox campaign, aiming to eliminate toxic chemicals from its entire product lifecycle and across its whole supply chain by 2020.

Aside from the Clever Little Bag, PUMA is also working on other products designed to reduce the company’s environmental impact.

For example, the apparel bags is now smaller, while the material is 100% biodegradable cornstarch (dissolvable in warm water), helping PUMA to reduced the amount of plastic it uses by 720 tons a year.

The product hangtags have also shrunk and have been reduced to fewer pages. Also, icons from the PUMA Eco-Table are also featured to highlight the eco-friendly materials and processes used to create the products.

Finally, the new carrier bag is also made of 100% cornstarch and features the new PUMA Eco-table. Dubbed Clever Little Shopper, it is 100% biodegradable, capable of decomposing within a three month period. PUMA says  this save 192 tons of plastic and 293 tons of paper every year.