#Recycling / Circular Economy

2024-07-18

Millions of PUMA football jerseys made with recycled textile waste

Global sports company PUMA has scaled up its textile-to-textile recycling innovation RE:FIBRE, creating millions of replica football jerseys with a minimum of 75% recycled textile waste and other waste material. For the first time, from the start of the 24/25 season, PUMA football replica jerseys* (featuring 35 Clubs), including those for the Euro and Copa América tournaments, are made from RE:FIBRE.

The upscaling builds on the 46,000 RE:FIBRE jerseys produced in 2023 and seeks to not only reduce textile waste, but also to create less reliance on plastic bottles to produce recycled polyester products. To make the upscaling possible, PUMA is exploring diversified ways to recycle polyester – such as thermo-mechanical and chemical recycling techniques enabling PUMA to significantly increase its capacity to recycle textile waste.

“RE:FIBRE gives football fans a tangible example of how PUMA is working towards creating a Forever Better,” said Anne-Laure Descours, Chief Sourcing Officer at PUMA. “Our wish is to have 100% of our polyester products created from textile waste. Rethinking how we produce and moving towards a more circular business model is important and RE: FIBRE is central to that.”

To celebrate this milestone, PUMA will hold a weekend of activities in the New York flagship store, timed to coincide with the launch of the AC Milan and Manchester City home replica kits and ahead of the two PUMA football teams playing in New York City. Fans of PUMA, AC Milan and Manchester City are welcome to get involved and celebrate PUMA’s RE:FIBRE journey in store.

Saturday 20th July 2024

One hundred limited edition badges upcycled from match worn jerseys by Jack Grealish and Christian Pulisic will be up for grabs in-store. The badges have been designed by US upcycler and PUMA Voice of a RE:Generation Andrew Burgess, to commemorate the expansion of PUMA RE:FIBRE.

Sunday 21st July

Andrew Burgess will host three upcycling workshops to educate fashion-curious consumers on the techniques for customising and upcycling clothing to extend their lifespan. Leaning into the crossover between sport and fashion, consumers will have the chance to take a RE:FIBRE t-shirt and turn it into a sportstyle inspired garment.

More information on this can be found here:

https://foreverbetter.com/en/circularity/refibre

PUMA’s sustainability efforts receive ‘Leadership Level’ scores

Sports company PUMA has received strongly improved scores for its sustainability efforts regarding water security and forests and maintained a top score for its climate policy in the latest ratings by global environmental non-profit CDP. While PUMA kept its A ranking in climate change, it improved its scores in water security and forest to A-, from a score of B and C respectively in the previous year, meaning it was ranked at a ‘leadership level’ in all categories analyzed by CDP.

Reju announces site selection for French Regeneration Hub in Lacq advancing Europe’s circular textile infrastructure

Reju, the textile-to-textile regeneration company based in France, announces the site selection for an industrial sized Regeneration Hub, in Lacq, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, on the Induslacq platform. Reju, a Technip Energies owned company, is deepening its roots in France through the development of this new Regeneration Hub.

Covestro showcases monomaterial concept in autonomous SUE People Mover

UE | STUDIOS has unveiled the fully autonomous electric minibus “Self-driving Urban E-Shuttle” (SUE), placing strong emphasis on sustainable material design. Developed within a project funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) and the European Union, the vehicle will begin public road testing this year. At the core of the concept is the consistent use of recyclable monomaterials to improve circularity at end of life.

Circ announces New Fiber Club partners to accelerate commercial adoption of recycled textiles

Circ®, a global leader in textile‑to‑textile recycling, announced the scaling of its Fiber Club initiative. Building on the success of the inaugural program, Circ is bringing together a new group of brand partners: the lifestyle brand Madewell (under J.Crew Group), sustainable fashion brand Reformation, and European retailer C&A, alongside supply chain partners Lenzing and Linz Textil.

Circulose restarts commercial-scale production at Ortviken plant in Sundsvall

Circulose today announced the restart of its commercial-scale production plant at Ortviken in Sundsvall, Sweden, marking a significant step in scaling next-generation materials for the global fashion industry. The company plans to resume production of CIRCULOSE®, a recycled pulp made entirely from discarded cotton textiles, in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Coats Digital appoints Himanshu Mehrotra as Managing Director to lead next phase of cloud and AI-driven innovation

Coats Digital is delighted to announce the appointment of Himanshu Mehrotra as Managing Director to lead the company’s strategic direction, innovation agenda, and global growth as it accelerates the development of its cloud-native, AI-powered software solutions for the global apparel and footwear supply chain.

Over 1,500 exhibitors: Techtextil 2026 grows in key future sectors

Techtextil 2026 continues to grow: more than 1,500 exhibitors from 49 countries present their products and innovations in Frankfurt am Main from 21 to 24 April 2026. Over 120 of them are first-time exhibitors. Texprocess is taking place at the same time, remaining stable with around 200 exhibitors despite challenging market conditions. Together, the two events bring more than 1,700 exhibitors to the Frankfurt exhibition grounds.

Esquel Group adds two new extra-long staple cotton varieties approved

Esquel Group’s Xinjiang Research & Development Center has successfully developed two new Sea Island cotton (Extra-Long-Staple cotton, ELS cotton) varieties named “Yuan Loong 37” and “Yuan Loong 42,” which have been officially approved and granted registration numbers. Both varieties have also obtained Plant Variety Rights certificates, marking another significant breakthrough for the Group in cotton breeding and commercial application.

Itema America acquires Palmetto Loom Reed, strengthening local manufacturing and service in the U.S.

Itema America, the U.S. subsidiary of Italy-based Itema Group, has acquired – through an Assets Purchase Agreement – Palmetto Loom Reed, a Greenville, South Carolina-based manufacturer of weaving reeds and one of the last remaining domestic producers of these precision components in the United States.