PUMA are trialling an innovative new process that will allow them to recycle existing football kits to create new ones for the first time ever.

The RE:JERSEY project takes football kits as the main ingredient to create yarn for new jerseys, a process that hasn't previously been possible due to the complex make-up of fabrics involved in kit production best seen in details like brand logos, club badges, and sponsor patches.

While most football kits from major brands on the market today are already made from recycled materials, RE:JERSEY kits are made with 75% repurposed football jerseys. In the new recycling process used for the RE:JERSEY project, the garments are chemically broken down into their main components, colours are then filtered out, and the material is chemically put back together to create yarn.

The first products made in the RE:JERSEY project will be worn on-pitch during pre-match warm-ups by PUMA Clubs Manchester City, AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund and Olympique de Marseille. The teams will wear the jerseys ahead of their respective league fixtures in late April and May, starting with Manchester City against Watford on April 23.

The initiative from PUMA is just the latest move to make football more sustainable, with kit culture increasingly coming under the microscope. While Napoli have worn 13 kits so far this season, Brentford have announced their current home shirt will be rolled over into next season.