Puma starts Re:Suede pilot to test biodegradability of shoe

After receiving strong interest for its latest biodegradability initiative, German sportswear manufacturer Puma has begun to deliver 500 pairs of its experimental Re:Suede sneaker to participants in Germany.

The Re:Suede project, which was originally scheduled for January, will see if Puma can create a biodegradable version of their most iconic shoe, the Suede. The Re:Suede will be worn for six months before the participants return their pairs to Puma. The company will then ship the worn Re:Suedes to Ortessa, a Dutch industrial composting company, to see if the sneakers can biodegrade in a regulated, industrial setting.

Heiko Desens, global creative director at Puma, said, that they’re excited that they had many times more requests for the Re:Suede experiment than they had pairs available, which shows that there is a big interest in sustainability concerns. They’ll also collect input from participants on the sneakers’ comfort and durability as part of the experiment, which will help them build future iterations of the shoe if the experiment is successful.

As part of the experiment, Puma’s global brand ambassadors, including model, actor, and campaigner Cara Delevingne, will test the Re:Suede.