Excerpt from Press Release by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute
SAN FRANCISCO, Mar. 12 /CSRwire/ – The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute today announced the certification of its first global apparel brand collection. Products in the PUMA InCycle collection have been awarded BASIC level certification under version 2.1 of the Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM Product Standard, the first step on a continuous improvement and innovation path.
PUMA’s introduction of its InCycle collection of biodegradable and recyclable products gives the Sportlifestyle and fashion industries clear insight as to how the Cradle to Cradle Certified Products Program helps realize a company’s sustainability goals.
Innovation design experts at PUMA used the product certification process to realize very ambitious goals. “We asked ourselves, ‘Can we create the industry’s first biodegradable and recyclable collection?’” said Justin DeKoszmovszky, PumaVision Global Strategy and Program Manager. “The certification process encouraged us to push the envelope.”
Specifically, the Certified Products Program pushed re-evaluation of product ingredients, including pigments, dye stocks, and materials. For example, the resulting lifestyle sneaker “Basket” combines cotton, linen, and bioplastics from Apinat® Bio. Together with the collection’s tee shirts, the sneakers are biodegradable when processed by modern composting facilities. The textiles used in the InCycle backpack and legendary PUMA track jacket are designed to be returned to industry for perpetual recyclability through PUMA’s Bring Me Back program, another innovation that incorporates the Certified Products Program’s criteria for “material reutilization.”
Click here for the full press release by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.
