Every Shirt tells a Story

Football jerseys are emotion, identity, and innovation. At PUMA, they also stand for responsibility – from design to recycling. Our newest Forever. Better. podcast series  Who Gives A Shirt explores how culture, technology, and sustainability shape the future of football jerseys.

Cornelius Wolf, Senior Director Development Apparel, explains how performance and purpose come together in every PUMA jersey.

Cornelius, how many people are actually involved before a PUMA jersey makes it onto the pitch or into the fan shop?
A lot more than people think. When visitors see our production, they’re always surprised. Around 20 to 25 people on PUMA’s side are involved – from design and development to sports marketing and quality control. At the factory, another 40 to 50 work on each line, from cutting to final inspection. In total, over 200 people help create a single jersey. And that doesn’t include the supporting teams handling compliance, sustainability, or water recycling – an entire network that keeps quality, responsibility, and emotion in balance.

What makes a football jersey more than just a piece of clothing for you personally?
It’s all about emotion. I still get goosebumps when I see someone at an airport or on holiday wearing a PUMA jersey we worked on. When people cheer, suffer, and celebrate in something we’ve helped create – that’s when product work turns into passion.
It’s also what motivates my team: kids unwrapping a jersey at Christmas, fans saving up for one, clubs expressing who they are through their colors. Those moments show what a jersey truly means – identity, pride, and belonging.

How do you balance material, technology, design, and function?
It’s that magical connection – everything interacts. For athletes, every gram and every detail matters: the jersey should feel like a second skin, wick away sweat, and never distract. For fans, it’s about quality and feel – they want texture, something tangible, a crest that stands out.

How much innovation goes into a jersey today?
A lot. We have our own innovation team that works across multiple sports. One of the biggest breakthroughs was our woven football jersey – the first of its kind. It’s lighter, more breathable. We’re also using new printing techniques that make colors more durable, and our RE:FIBRE project enables fully recyclable textiles.
A modern jersey takes about two to two and a half years to develop – combining design, engineering, and sustainability.

What was the biggest technical challenge with RE:FIBRE?
The process itself isn’t the problem – textile-to-textile recycling works technically very well. The real challenge was bringing it to an industrial scale. We had to ensure the system could be scaled and that enough recyclable materials were available. In the beginning, polyester contamination was a big issue: when a jersey includes badges, prints, or fiber blends, the recycling process becomes much more complex. We’ve largely solved that now, but sourcing enough feedstock has been a challenge. That’s why we want to involve consumers more – they can now support PUMA’s RE:FIBRE programme by donating garments made of 95 percent polyester or more at take-back bins available in select PUMA stores. As of 2024, these take-back programmes are active in Australia, China, Germany, France, India, Switzerland, and the United States – helping us turn pre-loved clothing into new PUMA products. 

What are the logistical hurdles in textile recycling?
The biggest challenge is the feedstock – the raw material we can recycle. It’s about finding enough discarded textiles, offcuts, or end-of-life products. The international trade in textile waste is highly regulated; in many countries, importing or exporting polyester waste is restricted, which complicates the supply chain. And traceability is another big topic – knowing exactly where each piece of material comes from is more complex for textiles than for recycled PET bottles. 

How does RE:FIBRE compare to recycled bottle polyester?
Chemically, recycled textile material is absolutely identical to so-called virgin polyester – and that’s a huge step forward. We can turn old textiles into new fibers without any loss in quality. That’s what differentiates RE:FIBRE from classic bottle-based polyester, where the material degrades slightly with each cycle. The goal is a fully closed loop – turning old jerseys into new ones with the same performance, color fastness, and feel. 

How far along are you with implementation – and what’s holding you back?
We’re already quite far. This year, we’ve scaled up our RE:FIBRE programme, creating millions of replica football jerseys  – nearly all our replica club and national team jerseys. What still holds us back are two factors: cost and availability. Textile-to-textile recycling is still more expensive than bottle-based polyester, and the supply of suitable material is limited. We’re working on expanding resource access and scaling the system globally. But our long-term goal is clear: closing the loop – from production to recycling and reuse. 

How important is sustainability in all of this?
It’s central. Back in 2019, we set our 10FOR25 sustainability targets. Now, as we approach the end of 2025, many of these goals are on track or have already been achieved ahead of schedule. But, especially in football, where millions of fans wear our products, we can have real impact. Our goal is a closed loop: materials that can be completely reused and recycled. 

Do you also explore alternative fibers?
Absolutely. We’re testing many options – natural fibers, textile waste, new blends. The key is that the ecological impact is genuinely positive. Some materials sound great but use too much energy or water. In those cases, we have to be honest and say no. We always evaluate that together with our sustainability team. 

What drives you personally?
For me, textile recycling is everything. When you’re in the factory every week and see how many great products we produce, you want to minimize the impact at the same time. That’s why RE:FIBRE is more than a project – it’s a commitment. We take care of our own waste and turn it into something new.
And we know we can’t do it alone. We can’t change the industry by ourselves. We have to collaborate – with manufacturers, with other brands, even outside sports. It’s not about competition; it’s about responsibility. When you sit at a table with people from other industries and realize everyone is aiming for the same goal, it stops being only about market share. It becomes about doing what’s right. And that feels good. 

Curious to know more about our RE:FIBRE process?

Watch Episode 5 ‘Jerseys for the Future’ where Andrew Burgess, one of PUMA’s Voice of a RE:GENERATION, breaks down the process.

Now streaming on your favourite podcast platform and PUMA’s YouTube, or you can also watch it HERE:

There’s only one Forever. let’s make it Better.