#Retail & Brands

2023-12-07

PUMA scale-up their textile-to-textile recycling technology, creating all future replica football kit using RE:FIBRE Technology

Global sports company PUMA has today announced that it has scaled up its textile recycling innovation, RE:FIBRE, replacing recycled polyester with RE:FIBRE technology in all PUMA football Club and Federation replica jerseys from 2024 onwards.

Since the launch of the pilot in 2022, which saw PUMA produce recycled training jerseys for their sponsored football clubs, RE:FIBRE technology has been used to create Switzerland and Morocco replica kits for the Women’s World Cup as well as Girona’s 2023/24 season Third kit. In 2024, official PUMA football replica jerseys* including those for the Euro and Copa América tournaments will be manufactured using RE:FIBRE recycled materials that were made of old garments and factory waste rather than only recycled plastic bottles.

Through the RE:FIBRE program, PUMA is keen to address the challenge of textile waste via a long-term solution for recycling. The technology also looks to diversify the fashion industry’s main source of recycled polyester in garments from being less reliant on clear plastic bottles.

The RE:FIBRE process uses any polyester material – from factory offcuts, faulty goods to pre-loved clothes which allows new garments to be recycled from any colour textile to any colour desired.

The four-step process of RE:FIBRE sees:

• Collect and Sort: Collecting and sorting textile waste and other previously wasteful materials.

• Shred and Mix: Shredding and mixing the collected materials down to the minimum.

• Dissolve, Filter and Polymerize: Melting down the shredded polyester and ridding them of previous dyes through a chemical recycling process.

• Melt, Spin, Knit and Sew: The melting allows the newly produced polymers to become ready to be spun and sewn into shape to create good as new RE:FIBRE fabric which can be recycled again and again.

Managing waste has today become a necessity, which is why PUMA is ramping up its investment into resource-efficient manufacturing processes in a move to reduce textile waste.

“Our wish is to have 100% of product polyester coming from textile waste,” said Anne-Laure Descours, Chief Sourcing Officer at PUMA. “Textile waste build-up in landfills is an environmental risk. Rethinking the way we produce and moving towards a more circular business model is one of the main priorities of our sustainability strategy.”

To help make the technical process of RE:FIBRE more digestible for the everyday consumer who wants to know more, PUMA has harnessed the storytelling power of Computer Generated Imagery to take viewers through the RE:FIBRE process, right down to the molecular chemistry at work. View the video here.

https://about.puma.com/en/re-fibre

The video builds on the brand’s ongoing commitment to ensure PUMA’s sustainability initiatives are simplified for everyone to engage with. This comes after research conducted by PUMA found that 71% of young people felt their voices were not being heard when it comes to the environment and would like to see brands making more commitments (49%), communicating their goals better (40%) and being more transparent (34%).

As part of this commitment to communicate better, PUMA released The RE:GEN REPORTS podcast in June 2023. Making dense information in their Sustainability Report more accessible and tailored to a Gen Z audience.

https://about.puma.com/de/forever-better/re-gen-reports

PUMA’s ongoing efforts in sustainability has shown the brand improving its rankings on Corporate Knight’s Global 100 Sustainability Index from 77th to 47th, and the journey is not over. You can read further on PUMA’s sustainability targets and RE:FIBRE on foreverbetter.com.

*excluding locally replicas for Fenerbahçe SK, Shakhtar Donetsk and locally sourced kits.

Texprocess 2026: Automation, digitalisation and AI redefine textile processing

Making investment decisions in textile processing has become significantly more demanding. Increasing energy costs, a shortage of skilled labour and ongoing geopolitical uncertainties are compelling companies to focus on technologies that deliver clear gains in efficiency and process reliability. This applies equally to apparel manufacturing and to the processing of technical textiles and high-performance materials. As a result, modernisation initiatives are assessed more carefully – even as the need to upgrade production systems continues to intensify.

Techtextil 2026: Between innovation pressure & market reality

From 21 to 24 April 2026, Techtextil in Frankfurt am Main will once again become the central meeting point for the international technical textiles and nonwovens industry. Running in parallel, Texprocess will focus on the industrial implementation of textile processing technologies as the leading platform in this field. Together, the two trade fairs form a closely integrated presentation and working platform along the entire textile value chain – from material development to finished applications.

Between geopolitical pressure and industrial resilience

In this interview, Dr. Janpeter Horn (VDMA) discusses the current challenges facing textile machinery manufacturers, shaped by geopolitical tensions, regulatory developments and subdued investment. He also outlines why innovation strength, integrated solutions and strategic positioning remain key to global competitiveness.

Recover™ secures multi-year recycled cotton agreement with H&M

Recover™ has signed a multi-year agreement with H&M to support the integration of its recycled cotton fiber, RCotton, for use in H&M’s products. Since early 2024, H&M and Recover™ have collaborated on product development, which now enables scaled commercial introduction of Recover™ mechanically recycled cotton into H&M’s collections.

GORE-TEX® KIDSWEAR launches innovative membership scheme for kids’ jackets

With its revolutionary new membership model, GORE-TEX® Kidswear now offers families a simple, flexible and sustainable way of kitting out their children in top-quality jackets. It is aimed at the parents of children aged between five and ten and kicks off with a choice of functional winter jackets.

Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles unveils Trends 2027 alongside new lifestyle zone and product expansion

Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Autumn Edition 2026 will spotlight forward-looking design directions and evolving consumer demand, as the global home and lifestyle market continues to adapt to sustainability priorities, emotional well-being, and diversified living spaces. Taking place from 18 – 20 August 2026 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), the fair will present its latest trend theme, ‘BREATHE UP!’, developed in collaboration with leading international trend forecaster NellyRodi™ Agency, alongside expanded product categories, and the debut of the Home Textiles Lifestyle Zone.

Itema to showcase weaving excellence at ITM 2026

From June 9 to 13, Itema will exhibit at ITM 2026 in Istanbul (Hall 8 – Stand 806D), unveiling a distinctive exhibition concept designed to highlight the Company’s expertise across the entire weaving value chain. For this year’s edition, Itema will introduce an innovative stand experience built around two core areas: advanced weaving and spare parts solutions and an immersive textile gallery featuring fabrics produced by Itema Customers worldwide.

Last chance to apply: ITMA 2027 Start-Up Valley closes tomorrow

Applications for the Start-Up Valley at ITMA 2027 close tomorrow, offering young technology companies the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of several successful participants from the 2023 edition. The initiative, organised under the CEMATEX Start-Up Grant programme, has already helped a number of textile start-ups accelerate their transition from early-stage concepts to industrial partnerships, funding rounds and commercial deployment.