One of the holy grails of sustainable design is figuring out how to make something that can be fully recycled back into a new product when someone's done using it. It's a design philosophy that's becoming a little more mainstream. One of Puma's new lines of clothing this spring embraces 'cradle-to-cradle' thinking, with a jacket and backpack that can be recycled, and a t-shirt and sneakers that can be composted.
It's a pretty smart process that should be applied to more products. In this case, the jacket is made from recycled PET bottles. By designing the entire jacket—even the zipper—from the same material, it can all easily be recycled. Once the jacket's worn out, someone can bring it back to the store, and the company will convert the plastic back into pellets that can be used to make a new jacket.
Puma's not the only company making recycled and recyclable clothing; Patagonia's been using recycled bottles in fabric for several years, and companies like Rickshaw Bagworks are also designing fully recyclable products. But it's good to see the idea spreading.
Image courtesy of Puma
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