Puma Launches Cradle-to-Cradle Sportswear Line

Sportswear company Puma has launched InCycle, the brand’s first “closed-loop” collection of footwear, apparel and accessories, all of which have earned the Cradle to Cradle Certified Basic certification.

Puma’s InCycle products are entirely biodegradable or recyclable, the company says. Products in the collection, which will be available starting next month, include the Puma Track Jacket and Puma Backpack, which use homogenous materials to ensure they are fully recyclable at the end of their lifespans. The backpack is made of polypropylene, and the jacket can be turned back into polyester granulate.

The jacket is made from recycled polyester deriving from used PET bottles. To fully ensure the homogeneity of materials, the jacket’s zipper is made from recycled polyester as well.

Another item, the Basket Tee, is fully compostable through industrial composting. The Puma Shopper is constructed with minimal materials, all of which can be reused, the company said.

The upper of the Puma Basket lifestyle sneaker is made from a mix of organic cotton and linen while the sole is composed of the biodegradable plastic Apinatbio. This can be shredded into its component materials and composted into natural humus that goes back into the ecosystem, Puma said.

Puma analyzed two products in the collection, the InCycle Basket sneaker and Basket Tee Biodegradable, as part of its first Product Environmental Profit and Loss Account published in October 2012. These two products impacted the environment by a third less than their conventional counterparts, according to the report.

To aid in the product collection and recycling process, Puma has installed recycling bins in-store to collect used shoes, clothing and accessories of any brand. It is running this “Bring Me Back” program in cooperation with global recycling company I:CO.

To develop the collection, Puma collaborated with Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency, an institute that aims to help companies fulfill the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute’s criteria for the design of ecologically and intelligently designed products.

Cradle to Cradle’s certification program rates products against five sustainability factors:

1) the use of environmentally safe and healthy materials; 2) design for material reutilization including recycling and composting; 3) renewable energy and management of carbon; 4) water stewardship; and 5) social fairness.

In October, Puma announced plans to form an industry coalition to broaden adoption of its Environmental Profit & Loss sustainability accounting method. The coalition is scheduled to be formally launched this year. It will contain about a dozen companies from a range of industries.