Launched in April 2023, PUMA‘s Voices of a RE:GENERATION initiative, provides four Gen-Z ‘Voices’ with access to the brand’s sustainability practices. In doing so, these ‘Voices’ have been helping PUMA to engage and translate sustainability in a meaningful way with the next generation, sharing new perspectives, insights, and suggesting improvements along the way. In 2023, three of the ‘Voices’ visited some of PUMA’s manufacturing partners to learn about PUMA’s supply chain whilst experiencing the complexities and progressions of sustainability-at-scale. To improve education and transparency around the topic, PUMA gave each ‘Voice’ the opportunity to capture and share unfiltered footage of their experiences. Commenting, Anne-Laure Descours, Chief Sourcing Officer at PUMA, said: “PUMA has a long history of reporting on our sustainability performance, but it is more important than ever to engage younger generations in sustainability decisions. We hope that by inviting our 'Voices’ to experience our supply chain we’re able to share the genuine progress and passion that our suppliers have invested as well as the realities and challenges we face in our efforts to improve.”
The video series created by the ‘Voices’ Luke Jaque-Rodney, Jade Roche and Andrew Burgess captures some of the social and environmental aspects of the garment industry, shedding light on themes such as working conditions, fair wages, textile waste and resource efficiency. Through the visits, the ‘Voices’ witnessed the production processes and engaged directly with factory owners and garment workers to gain insights and address industry perceptions. The ‘Voices’ also offered their feedback to PUMA, providing valuable input for improvements. Luke and Jade documented their experiences at PUMA’s tier 1 and 2 apparel and footwear suppliers including DBL Hamza Textiles Ltd, DBL Jinnat Knitwears Ltd, and Urmi Fakhruddin Textiles Ltd in Bangladesh, as well as Dai Loc Shoe Corporation and Alliance One Apparel Co., Ltd in Vietnam. During the visit they explored sustainability initiatives implemented by PUMA’s manufacturing partners, such as building relationships with unions, fair price shops, childcare facilities, machinery upgrades and more. The ‘Voices’ were accompanied by Anne-Laure Descours, Chief Sourcing Officer at PUMA, Veronique Rochet, Senior Director Sustainability at PUMA and two journalists with extensive field experience, providing the ‘Voices’ with a historical perspective on the garment industry.