Puma launches shoes, apparel made of recycled plastic

German sportswear manufacturer Puma has created  a new collection of footwear and clothing, made from recycled plastic. Puma teamed up with First Mile to create a sustainable sportswear collection. First Mile is a UK-based waste management and recycling company.

Puma and First Mile recycled more than 1.9 lakh plastic bottles for their new sustainable collection.  Stefan Seidel, head of corporate sustainability at Puma said, "The Puma and First Mile programme has diverted about 40 tonnes of plastic waste from landfills and oceans, just for the products made for 2020".

Puma's new apparel collection is made of 83-100 per cent of the sustainable yarn from First Mile, Seidel added.

"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 per cent to even 100 per cent from the more sustainable yarn sourced from First Mile," Siedel said.

First Mile works with various multinational companies to help them recycle waste. It collects about 60,000 tonnes of waste a year.  The First Mile's operations are largely based in micro-economies, like- Taiwan, Honduras, and Haiti.

The first Puma and First Mile training collection is available at Puma stores, selected retailers as well as brand's e-commerce site.

Puma's rival Adidas has been working with nonprofit Parley since 2015 to manufacture sneakers made from recycled plastic. Recently, Adidas said that it will produce 15-20 million pairs of shoes using ocean plastic in 2020.

Last year, sportswear giant Reebok also released its first-ever plant-based performance shoes, made from  castor bean oil, eucalyptus tree, algae, and natural rubber instead of petroleum plastics.