Puma to recruit 500 people to test Re:Suede sneaker

Sportswear brand Puma is looking for 500 people in Germany to join brand ambassadors Cara Delevingne and Raphaël Varane to test its Re:Suede sneaker and become part of the company’s experiment to see whether it can make a biodegradable version of its classic Suede.

Each participant will be asked to wear and love the Re: Suede sneaker from May for six months before returning the shoe to Puma. The sportswear brand will then test the sneakers for biodegradability at an industrial composting facility operated by Dutch waste specialists Ortessa.

Currently, Puma is asking for 500 German residents only, who have until March 14 to register on the brand’s website.

“We want participants to wear the Re:Suede as part of their daily routine,” said Stefan Seidel, Puma’s head of corporate sustainability in a statement. “That is how we can gather realistic feedback about the durability of the materials used in the sneaker.”

Following the experiment, Puma said that it will share the results with its industry peers, as part of its quest to help find better solutions for the waste management challenges the whole industry faces.

The Re:Suede sneakers may look like its predecessor, which has been one of Puma’s most iconic models since the 1960s, however, it is made using materials such as Zeology tanned suede, biodegradable TPE and hemp fibres.