Puma trials jersey recycling in new circularity project

German sportswear giant Puma is to pilot a new circular production process using old football jerseys to create new ones.

The Herzogenaurach-based company said its goal is to reduce waste and move towards a more circular production model.

Called RE:JERSEY, the yarn of existing items can be used to create new jerseys, despite old logos, embroideries and badges which once hindered the process.

Puma said its garments are chemically broken down into their main components (depolymerization) and colours are then filtered out and the material is chemically put back together to create a yarn (repolymerization) that has the same performance characteristics as virgin polyester.

Puma said its football kits on the market today are made from 100 recycled polyester, its RE:JERSEY kits are made with 75 percent repurposed football jerseys. The remaining 25 percent comes from Seaqual marine plastic.

Circular sportswear

“With the RE:JERSEY project, we wanted to develop ways to reduce our environmental impact, respect resources and reuse materials,” said Howard Williams, Director Apparel Technology at Puma. “The insights we gained with RE:JERSEY will help us develop more circular products in the future."

The products made in the RE:JERSEY project will be worn on-pitch during pre-match warm-ups and teams will wear the jerseys ahead of their respective league fixtures in late April and May, starting with Manchester City against Watford on April 23.