Puma RE:SUEDE

Cara Delevingne with the Puma RE:SUEDE / Source: Puma

EuropeHempLeatherTextilesZeology

3 MINUTE READ

Mayer Nissim

WHAT WE SAY:

Footwear is the fashion industry’s biggest sustainable challenge. We know how to eliminate plastic from our clothes, even if we don’t want to pay for it. But eliminating plastic from our shoes, especially the ubiquitous sneaker category, is hard.

It’s an urgent problem, given that over 23 billion pairs of shoes are produced each year. And while we are intrigued by Puma’s RE:SUEDE edition, we can’t help wishing the brand had been more ambitious in both the scale and speed of its new sneaker concept.

KEY FACTS:

Puma is trialling an experimental version of its classic SUEDE sneaker with the aim of making it more sustainable and ultimately biodegradable, to reduce waste during the manufacturing process and at end-of-life.
The company is swapping out chrome-tanned or glutaraldehyde-tanned Leather for Zeology-tanned leather, as well as using biodegradable TPE and Hemp fibres.
The RE:SUEDE is not yet available in stores as it’s still in the pilot phase – 500 pairs are being worn by German volunteers for six months to test the concept.

Puma RE:SUEDE / Source: Puma

DIVE DEEPER:

The worldwide sneaker market will reach an estimated USD 100 billion in 2025, and currently 90% of all shoes end up in landfill when they’re worn out, while the manufacturing process also causes significant chemical waste.
The company is using Zeology-tanned leather as the basis of the shoe – which uses naturally occurring zeolites from the Earth’s crust rather than chrome or glutaraldehyde. The innovative process by Nera Tanning reduces the amount of harmful waste and results in a leather that is potentially compostable, depending on how it is finished.
At present, the RE:SUEDE is an experimental pilot, with 500 pairs being tested by wearers in Germany for six months, at which point they’ll be sent to industrial composting experts Ortessa in the Netherlands, who will discover if the shoes will biodegrade in a controlled, industrial setting.

“We received many times more requests for the RE:SUEDE experiment than we had pairs available, which shows that there is a large interest in sustainability.”

Heiko Desens – Global Creative Director, Puma

Key Design Considerations:

Demand for biodegradable sneakers

We believe the time has come. The RE:SUEDE marks the second time the brand has attempted to manufacture a sustainable sneaker, after the InCycle range in 2012, which was discontinued after four seasons due to low demand and the need for more research and development. But today's world is very different to that of 2012. Awareness of the climate and plastic waste crises are exponentially higher, while sustainable technologies have also improved, with Zeology launching at the end of 2020. Timing is everything when it comes to innovation.

Optimising for a purpose

Many brands are reimagining their products with various aspirations – such as Adidas x Allbirds' low-carbon sneakers and Timberland's circular commitment. Compostability is another compelling aspiration for brands looking to reduce their impact, but we question its relevance for sneakers. The composting industry is not waiting with bated breath for a ‘compostable sneaker’ – it is focused on creating quality compost or biogas from the food waste stream, not footwear.

Other end-of-life options

While it is an intriguing marketing message, industrial composting facilities are not commonplace in many markets and we need to ask if composters actually want to process potentially millions of sneakers. Is this the right end-of-life solution? We think there can be more closed-loop circular options. Check out Natural Fiber Welding for better options. Once the RE:SUEDE reaches mainstream retail, it would be more effective for Puma to offer a buyback scheme to incentivise returns. This would not only enable the brand to manage its sneakers’ end-of-life, but also have the benefit of engaging customers when they are looking to make their next purchase.