RE:FIBRE: when something old
becomes something new

Do you have old clothes that you don’t wear anymore? Or maybe some faulty garments that you can’t return? Don’t throw them away, because they could become part of your favorite clubs’ football kit!

WE’RE SCALING UP!

After successful testing, we will scale up our textile recycling innovation, RE:FIBRE, which can turn any polyester material into new fabric. This means that from 2024 onwards, all PUMA football Club and Federation replica jerseys will be made of RE:FIBRE recycled materials, instead of only recycled plastic bottles.

We have been using RE:FIBRE technology since 2022 to produce recycled training jerseys for our sponsored football clubs, as well as our Federations Switzerland and Morocco‘s replica kits for the Women’s World Cup and Girona’s 2023/24 season Third kit. In 2024, all official PUMA football replica jerseys for the Euro and Copa América tournaments will also be manufactured using RE:FIBRE.

How does RE:FIBRE work?

RE:FIBRE is a four-step process that uses any polyester material – from factory offcuts, faulty goods to pre-loved clothes – to create new garments that can be recycled again and again.

Here’s how it works:

• 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.

If you are curious about how RE:FIBRE works in detail, you can watch a our video using Computer Generated Imagery to take you through the RE:FIBRE process, right down to the molecular chemistry at work.

🎬 Watch the video below!

Celebrating the RE:FIBRE Happy Hour

Thank you to all PUMAs who supported our sustainability activity! We hope you enjoyed the event and your free lunch. And Remember: you can always donate your pre-loved garments at your closest Take-Back bin.

How is RE:FIBRE making a difference?

RE:FIBRE is important because it helps us address the challenge of textile waste, which is a major environmental problem. According to the United Nations, the fashion industry produces 10% of global carbon emissions and 20% of global wastewater, and consumes more energy than the aviation and shipping industries combined. Moreover, around 85% of textiles end up in landfills or are incinerated, which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and pollution. By using RE:FIBRE, we can reduce our reliance on clear plastic bottles, which are the main source of recycled polyester in garments, and diversify our raw materials.

Want to learn more about RE:FIBRE?

We have launched a podcast series called The RE:GEN REPORTS, which makes the information in our Sustainability Report more accessible and tailored to a Gen Z audience. Episode 3 focuses on upcycling materials and defining ‘circularity’ and how our RE:FIBRE project is a step towards a better future.

🎧 Listen to the podcast!

Our ongoing efforts in sustainability have not gone unnoticed. As we have been able to improve our rankings on Corporate Knight’s Global 100 Sustainability Index from 77th to 47th, and the journey is not over.

Read more about our sustainability targets and RE:FIBRE!