HERZOGENAURACH, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The players of AC Milan wore special jerseys before the start of their Serie A match against Fiorentina on Sunday, which were made with an innovative garment-to-garment recycling method as part of PUMA’s RE:JERSEY project. AC Milan's women’s team will also wear the jerseys ahead of the Serie A match against Inter FC on May 7.
With RE:JERSEY, PUMA aims to reduce waste and pave the way towards more circular production models in the future. Sustainability is also a key value for AC Milan, which has committed to sustainable and social responsibility initiatives, with a particular focus on younger generations.
While PUMA’s football kits on the market today are already made from 100% recycled polyester, the RE:JERSEY shirts worn ahead of Sunday’s game are made with 75% repurposed football jerseys. The remaining 25% comes from SEAQUAL ® MARINE PLASTIC1.
“We are excited that AC Milan has joined us to be a part of the RE:JERSEY project,” said Matthias Baeumer, General Manager BU Teamsport at PUMA. “As we want to take more responsibility when it comes to the end of life of our products, RE:JERSEY is an important step in garment-to-garment recycling.”
In the recycling process used for the RE:JERSEY project, even old garments that feature logos, embroideries and club badges can be used, as the material is chemically broken down into its main components (depolymerization). Colors 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.
As part of the project, AC MILAN and PUMA will set up collection bins, where fans will be able to donate their old polyester items, which will be used for the RE:JERSEY project.
“AC Milan is a Club that truly believes in the social value of football. Sustainability is an important value for all of us at the Club, we need to do our part to protect the future of our planet, so we are delighted to join this initiative with our partner PUMA and be part of the RE:JERSEY project,” said Casper Stylsvig, Chief Revenue Officer at AC Milan.
PUMA
PUMA is one of the world’s leading sports brands, designing, developing, selling and marketing footwear, apparel and accessories. For more than 70 years, PUMA has relentlessly pushed sport and culture forward by creating fast products for the world’s fastest athletes. PUMA offers performance and sport-inspired lifestyle products in categories such as Football, Running and Training, Basketball, Golf, and Motorsports. It collaborates with renowned designers and brands to bring sport influences into street culture and fashion. The PUMA Group owns the brands PUMA, Cobra Golf and stichd. The company distributes its products in more than 120 countries, employs about 16,000 people worldwide, and is headquartered in Herzogenaurach/Germany.
1 SEAQUAL ® MARINE PLASTIC
SEAQUAL® MARINE PLASTIC is a sustainable and fully traceable raw material from SEAQUAL INITIATIVE that is made from marine litter, or in some cases from end-of-life fishing nets or other plastics used in aquaculture (such as those used in mussel and oyster farming). For more information, visit https://www.seaqual.org
