‘Revolutionary recycling’: Puma and Re&Up extend circular textiles partnership

Puma and technology company Re&Up have announced the extension of a circular textiles partnership aimed at helping scale the recycling of hard-to-recycle materials used to make the sports brand’s products.

Having worked together for some time, the two businesses this week agreed a multi-year tie-up aimed at scaling the future of circular textiles, according to Re&Up. Over the next few years, Re&Up will be supporting Puma’s ‘Re:Fibre’ programme, which the brand launched in 2022 to help keep garment material in circulation for longer rather than heading for landfill at the end of its initial usage.

“We’re supporting Puma by turning hard-to-recycle materials like polycotton and polyester-elastane into valuable resources,” Re&Up said on LinkedIn.

“Our revolutionary recycling technology, powered by 100% renewable energy, is enabling a new benchmark in textile recycling, and with our annual capacity of 80,000 tonnes, we’re ready to meet the industry’s growing demand for circular solutions.”

The tech company described the move as “a major milestone in our mission to close the recycled material gap and accelerate the industry’s shift to circularity”.

Since the launch of the Re:Fibre pilot in 2022, which saw Puma produce recycled training jerseys for their sponsored football clubs, textile-to-textile recycling technology has been used by Puma to create Switzerland and Morocco replica kits for the Women’s World Cup as well as Girona Football Club’s 2023/24 season third kit.

In 2024, official Puma football replica jerseys including those for the European Championships and Copa América tournaments were manufactured using Re:Fibre recycled materials that were made from old garments and factory waste.

Puma’s Re:fibre process involves collecting and sorting textile waste and other previously wasteful materials, and then shredding and mixing it down to the minimum. From there, material is melted down to rid them of previous dyes through a chemical recycling process, and then it is ready to be spun and sewn into shape to create new fabric.

Puma said the clothing can continue to be recycled time and time again through this method. Read more about Puma on Green Retail World.

The extended partnership comes as the UN Environment Programme and the UN Human Settlements Programme are set to host the third annual International Day of Zero Waste on Sunday 30 March 2025, which is themed “towards zero waste in fashion and textiles”.

The occasion will highlight the environmental and social challenges caused by the fashion sector’s linear business model, which drives overproduction and overconsumption. Events and activities worldwide and across social media will highlight the vital role the sector plays in countering the waste pollution crisis gripping the planet.

[image credit: Puma]