You might have heard of Puma’s Clever Little Bag.  It turns this innovative and sustainable packaging will be one of many eco-friendly projects from this clothing giant. The next step? Recyclable and even compostable shoes.

CEO Franz Koch announced that he is “confident that in the near future we will be able to bring the first shoes, T-shirts and bags, that are either compostable or recyclable, to the market.”  He claims that he envisions Puma making products that can either be entirely recyclable or able to be shredded and disposed of in your own backyard.

Puma has made great strides in sustainability in the past.  Their Clever Little Bag uses 65% less paper and thus allowed them to reduce their water, energy and diesel consumption by 60% in the past year.

Source: Guardian 

Japanese women feel uneasy throwing out their old bras because they fear that they will be stolen by those with less-than-pure intentions. Triumph International Ltd. is giving Japanese women the opportunity to not only dispose of their bras, but to turn them into pure and sustainable RPF fuel.

Refuse Paper and Plastic fuel (RPF for short) is derived from paper and plastic waste, and is slowly becoming an strong alternative to fossil fuels. It has a similar combustion power as coal, though it releases much less carbon dioxide. It also releases much less dioxin and other impurities into the water during the conversion process. Bras are also normally difficult to recycle because of their construction.

Triumph International provides women with plastic bags to discretely dispose for their bras at the company’s stores. Several other stores have begun to imitate Triumph and even began offering coupons as an incentive.

Beginning in 2009, Triumph has collected around 200,000 bras, all of which has been turned into 14 tons of RPF fuel. Triumph International Ltd. prides itself in relieving the anxieties of consumers in more ways than one.

Source: Japan Times

Timberland is creating a limited line of boots endorsed by the ex-Beatle Ringo Starr. These 75 pairs of boots, dubbed Earthkeepers, will bear an autograph from Ringo himself and will only be available in his shoe size (8).

These boots are made of Bionic Canvas, which is a type of yarn created from cotton-wrapped strands of recycled plastic from soda bottles.  This combination makes the textile much more water-resistant, durable and environmentally friendly.

An auction for these shoes will begin on December 1st, 2011 at 9pm EST on eBay.  The proceeds of the auction will be going to WaterAid, a charity dedicated to providing clean water to the poorest countries.

Source: Timberland and WaterAid