Puma compostable sneaker goes on sale

Sports giant Puma is making a Commercial version of their experimental Re:Suede sneaker, the Re:Suede 2.0, available for sale. This follows a two-year pilot project which demonstrated it was capable of successfully composting the shoe in bespoke industrial conditions.

As part of that experiment, the company produced 500 special pairs of its Suede sneakers to be worn by volunteers with materials selected for their ability to break down, such as Zeology tanned Suede.

And now it makes available the same number of pairs of the commercial version that went on sale this week in its own web store and through Zalando Plus.

He said the commercial version was developed to incorporate lessons learned during the experiment and feedback received from volunteers.

Anne-Laure Descours, Puma's sourcing director, said the 2.0 launch “is an important step towards finding viable end-of-life solutions for our footwear. “While we are excited about this progress, we will continue to innovate with our partners to determine the infrastructure needed for a scalable, long-term solution, essential to making a significant impact on waste reduction.”

Once the shoes are worn out, customers can return them for free and Puma will ship the sneakers to its partners so they can go through the industrial composting process. In exchange for returning them, customers will receive a 20% discount on their next purchase.