PUMA Commemorates Earth Day With The Second First Mile Collection

The PUMA x FIRST MILE collection consists of shoes and apparel made using recycled yarn from plastic bottles

In order to raise awareness and drive change towards creating a more sustainable world, global sports brand PUMA and First Mile launched its first collaborative collection earlier this year to support the creation of sustainable jobs, reduce environmental waste and positively impact local communities within the First Mile network.

First Mile is a people-focused network that strengthens micro-economies in Taiwan, Honduras and Haiti by collecting plastic bottles to create sustainable jobs and reduce pollution. The bottles are then sorted, cleaned, shredded and turned into yarn, which is later used to create products.

“Even though one of the key benefits of this partnership is social impact, the PUMA and First Mile program has diverted over 40 tons of plastic waste from landfills and oceans, just for the products made for 2020. This roughly translates into 1,980,286 plastic bottles being reused,” explained Stefan Seidel, Head of Corporate Sustainability for PUMA. “The pieces from this co-branded training collection range from shoes, tees, shorts, pants and jackets—all the apparel is made of at least 83-percent to even 100-percent from the more sustainable yarn sourced from First Mile.”

Now, as part of the brand’s commitment to reduce its environmental impact and live up to its code of being “Forever Better”—as well as to commemorate Earth Day—PUMA x First Mile unveils new styles and colorways of their new co-branded collection. The second drop of the PUMA x FIRST MILE collection consists of performance shoes, apparel and accessories featuring an exclusive camo pattern, earth tones and a dash of vibrant colors.

“Earth day is an important reminder that we should be looking after our planet and constantly working on bringing our environmental impact in line with planetary boundaries,” Seidel added. “Our strategy is centered on continuously looking for more sustainable alternatives for our key materials and creating maximum positive impact, living up to our code of being Forever Better.”