Munich, Germany, November 16, 2011
PUMA COMPLETES FIRST ENVIRONMENTAL PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT WHICH VALUES IMPACTS AT € 145 MILLION

Impact of € 51 million resulting from land use, air pollution and waste along the value chain added to previously announced € 94 million for GHG emissions and water consumption

PUMA’s Parent Company PPR announced its Luxury and Sport & Lifestyle Brands to implement a Group EP&L by 2015.

Within the context of publishing a worldwide unprecedented Environmental Profit and Loss Account (EP&L), the Sportlifestyle company PUMA and PPR HOME, the PPR Group’s sustainability initiative, released today, that the environmental impact for the key areas of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), water use, land use, air pollution and waste, generated through the operations and supply chain of PUMA is valued at € 145 million in 2010.

Furthermore, in acknowledging the PUMA EP&L today as an innovative sustainability approach, the PPR Group, PUMA’s majority shareholder, announced that this groundbreaking economic valuation methodology1 for a company’s environmental impacts will be implemented across its Luxury and Sport & Lifestyle brands by 2015.

After publishing an economic valuation of € 94 million of GHG emissions and water consumption in May this year2, PUMA has now finalised its 2010 E P&L by adding € 51 million caused by land use change for the production of raw materials, air pollution and waste along its value chain. Only € 8 million of the € 145 million total derive from PUMA’s core operations such as offices, warehouses, stores and logistics while the remaining € 137 million fall upon PUMA’s supply chain. These costs, which will not affect PUMA’s net earnings, will serve as an initial metric for the company when aiming to mitigate the footprint of PUMA’s operations and all supply chain levels.

“The unprecedented PUMA Environmental Profit and Loss Account has been indispensible for us to realize the immense value of nature’s services that are currently being taken for granted but without which companies could not sustain themselves,” said Jochen Zeitz, Executive Chairman of PUMA and Chief Sustainability Officer of PPR. “At PPR HOME, we view the PUMA EP&L as an essential tool to help drive PPR’s sustainability development across its Group of brands because analysing a company’s environmental impact through an E P&L and understanding where environmental measures are necessary will not only help conserve the benefits of ecosystem services but also ensure the longevity of our businesses. The results of the PUMA E P&L underpin the urgency for a paradigm shift in the way we all currently do business and I have been pleased to also see that the release of PUMA’s first results has generated widespread interest among governments, corporations, NGOs and academics.“

The PUMA E P&L and the associated methodology3 were developed with the support of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and Trucost PLC, using recognised ecological and economic techniques and building on a large volume of work in the fields of environmental and natural resource economics. The valuation of the overall results shows:

  • PUMA’s supply chain is responsible for 94% or € 137 million of its total environmental impact.
  • Over half (57% or € 83 million) of all environmental impacts are associated with the production of raw materials (including leather, cotton and rubber) in Tier 4 of PUMA’s supply chain4.
  • Only 6% or € 8 million derive from PUMA’s core operations such as offices, warehouses, stores and logistics; a further 9% (€ 13 million) occur in Tier 1, with the remaining 85% (€ 124 million) in Tiers 2-4.
  • GHGs make up 90% of the total impact of PUMA’s offices, stores and warehouses.

Alan McGill, partner, Sustainability and Climate Change, PwC, said: “These values are enough to make any business pay attention. The PUMA E P&L offers a real insight into the environmental consequences of commercial decisions and at the same time highlights potential commercial consequences of the environmental realities unfolding around the world. This will make many companies consider how they can apply similar analysis in their own organisations. Companies – big and small – are now reliant on global supply chains, making their environmental footprint much larger than many realise. Assigning economic values to the environmental impact of a company’s operations enables a business to tackle vital questions now, not just about environmental impacts, but business risk, costs savings and finding new ways to become more effective. Without measuring them, the impacts cannot be managed, or reduced.”

E P&L Results Break-Down

Water Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The impacts of water use and GHGs were found to be roughly equal, together making up just under two thirds of the overall impact (around € 47 million each)5. (For more details, please refer to the press materials of PUMA’s May 2011 announcement on http://about.puma.com/?p=6644)


Land Use

Negative impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services as a result of land-use for agriculture and buildings in PUMA’s supply chain are valued at € 37 million or 26% of the total E P&L. More than any other impact these costs are concentrated in Tier 4 with just 1% arising in PUMA’s operations and Tiers 1-3. Because leather is used extensively in footwear – PUMA’s dominant business line – and it is the most land extensive raw material that PUMA sources, the use of leather is the greatest single factor contributing to impacts on land-use. As a result, footwear accounts for € 34 million or 91% of the overall land-use impact.


Air Pollutants

The environmental damage caused by air pollution (particulates, ammonia, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and carbon monoxide) amounts to € 11 million, representing 7% of the E P&L total. Tier 4 is responsible for the lion’s share of the air pollution impact, valued at just over € 4 million. The single most significant contributor to this impact is ammonia emissions from animal waste and fertilisers used in agricultural processes.


Waste

The environmental impact caused by waste generation (landfill and incineration) is valued at € 3 million, representing 2% of the total PUMA E P&L. More than half of this derives from Tier 1 with some 21,000 tonnes of waste, followed by Tier 2 suppliers with some 8,000 tonnes and PUMA Operations with some 6,000 tonnes of waste. The vast majority of PUMA’s overall waste is produced in Asia / Pacific where most of PUMA’s suppliers are located.

Dr. Richard Mattison, Chief Executive Officer, Trucost said: “The current era of volatile resource prices, growing consumer and investor interest and greater regulatory standards mean that environmental issues are increasingly core to the business strategy. Water supplies, access to raw materials, a stable climate and clean air are vital to business operations, but many companies struggle to assess these issues due to their long and intricate supply chains. The Environmental Profit and Loss Account approach provides a robust framework to help companies unlock this complex challenge and embed sustainability at the heart of business decision making. PUMA has demonstrated that accounting for the environment is no longer a ‘holy grail’ objective, but simply makes good business sense.”


Responses to the PUMA 2010 Environmental Profit and Loss Account

The PUMA E P&L findings from 2010 have revealed that the lion share of PUMA’s environmental impact occurs within its supply chain of external partners, which the company has limited control over. In order to reduce the environmental impact at the lower end of the supply chain, PUMA is dependent on the cooperation of other industry players. To tackle this issue, PUMA has already started to gain support from national governments, environmental organizations, and representatives of science and industry to push for a shift in the current business paradigm towards a more sustainable approach; one that acknowledges the indispensible services provided by healthy ecosystems and respects their limits. The first step to achieving this change requires the services to be given monetary values in order to account for them when doing business.

At the same time, PUMA has started to implement solutions at its Tier 1 suppliers and within its own operations, where the company is able to provide support for change, independently.

Jochen Zeitz commented: “Reducing the environmental impacts that derive from PUMA’s supply chain represents a real challenge for us, as we have limited control over these activities and on further Tiers, suppliers can be shared by thousands of companies. However, we recognise that in order to make a real change we, along with our industry peers, have to work responsibly to help reduce the impacts of external supplier factories and raw material producers. In addition to driving innovation in various areas along our own supply chain and with our consumers, we also need the support of policy makers and the engagement of the whole industry to implement a new model for businesses that works with nature rather than against it and ultimately supports social and economic sustainability.”


Raising Awareness Among National Governments, the Industry and Science

The release of the initial E P&L results in May generated extensive media coverage and attained significant interest among governments, industry peers and international organizations.

Having been nominated as a co-opted member of the German Council for Sustainable Development, which advises the German government on sustainability issues, Jochen Zeitz presented the results and benefits of the PUMA E P&L to 15 Council members and a representative of the Federal Government last month. As a result, the council will launch a project that aims at implementing standards for PUMA’s environmental accounting statement and will promote the E P&L approach as an innovative practice in public debates.

The UK government featured PUMA’s groundbreaking analysis as a best practices case study for sustainable business in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affair (DEFRA) Natural Environment White Paper in June 2011. White papers are documents produced by the UK government setting out details of future policy on a particular subject, often forming the basis for legislative reform.

Also, the Co-Chair of the Investment Commission and Treasurer for the UN Environment Programme Financial Initiatives referred to the PUMA E P&L when speaking at the 2011 UNEP Financial Initiatives Global Roundtable in Washington last month. Further references have been made by sustainability experts Pavan Sukhdev6 and John Elkington7, the Harvard Business Review8, the Stanford Social Innovation Review9 and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development to name but a few.


Stepping up internal Resources at PPR and PUMA

In support of these findings, PPR and PUMA have stepped up their internal resources, hiring additional staff on a group level as well as within the PUMA.Safe team in order to address the challenge of reducing the environmental impact. On a corporate level, PPR is adding an Energy Management Specialist to its sustainability team, who will immediately begin to investigate opportunities for reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions. PPR has also hired a Conservation and Ecosystem Services Specialist who will be investigating the development of broadly-accepted definitions of sustainable cotton and rubber and internal standards for their sourcing.

To better target and focus its efforts, the PUMA.Safe team, which ensures that supplier factories adhere to PUMA’s social and environmental standards, has created both a Humanity and an Ecology team. Five additional environmental and social auditors will be joining the existing 13 employees in the PUMA.Safe team, so that environmental impacts at PUMA’s Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers can be better addressed and solutions for their reduction more rapidly developed. PUMA is also hiring a Chemical Engineer to look at solutions to identify more sustainable materials as well as supporting PUMA in phasing out harmful substances within the supply chain.


Developing synergies and partnerships

PUMA and PPR HOME have shared the results of the E P&L with other industry players and corporations to leverage adopting a new business model that takes the costs of using natural resources and eco-system services within corporate supply chains into account. Furthermore, PUMA has collected information on the environmental performance of suppliers which can be used to provide benchmarks for supplier performance targets and the sharing of best practice. PPR HOME will also leverage the lessons learned during PPR’s Group EP&L implementation stages in order to provide case studies across the Group’s companies and brands to assist in broader adoption among businesses.


Building Capacity to Penetrate the Supply Chain

PUMA has already stepped up its capacity building programme for its suppliers such as the CONSERV project at apparel and footwear factories in Vietnam. The project, which was launched in cooperation with the German investment and development organization DEG and international capacity building organization Assist Asia, will support the factories of Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, secure availability of natural resources and minimize the risks from waste and pollution through the implementation of resource efficiency practices.

Herzogenaurach, Germany, April 17, 2012
PUMA LAUNCHES PRODUCT RECYCLING PROGRAM IN PUMA STORES IN GERMANY

To reduce waste and keep products out of landfills, the Sportlifestyle company PUMA has installed recycling bins in PUMA Stores and outlets in Germany for customers to return used shoes, clothing and accessories of any brand.

The PUMA “Bring Me Back” program, which is run in cooperation with global recycling company I:CO, aims at encouraging the recycling and re-usability of sportlifestyle products among consumers by providing a convenient and simple process: Consumers bring used shoes, clothing and accessories from any manufacturer to a PUMA Store and deposit them in the designated Bring Me Back bins. The used products are then sent off to be re-used or recycled. This means they are either broken down and re-used to create raw materials, or they will be re-used in case they are still in a suitable condition, or they will be recycled into new products. With this new initiative PUMA helps to protect the environment, aspiring to eliminate waste by recycling used products to create new ones. This effort is one more step forward toward the long-term goal of transitioning to a closed cycle loop for materials usage.
“On our mission to become the most desirable and sustainable Sportlifestyle company in the world, we areconstantly working on solutions that aim at reducing the environmental impact that PUMA as a company leaves behind on our planet,” said Franz Koch, CEO of PUMA. “With our Bring Me Back-Program, we are pleased to target for the first time ever the massive amounts of waste sportlifestyle products leave behind at their end-of-life phase when consumers dispose them and they end up on landfills or in waste incineration plants.”

PUMA has implemented several initiatives and programs within its long-term sustainability program that foresees a reduction of 25% of carbon emissions, energy, water and waste in PUMA offices, stores, warehouses and direct supplier factories by 2015. With the innovative packaging system Clever Little Bag, that PUMA introduced in 2010 and that replaced traditional shoeboxes, the company already reached a milestone in reducing PUMA’s – and its consumers’ – environmental footprint significantly by saving more than 60% of paper and water annually.

In 2011, PUMA published the first-ever Environmental Profit and Loss Account that assessed and valued the environmental impacts of the company’s core operations (PUMA offices, stores and warehouses) and along its entire supply chain of production factories – from the level of raw material production to the final manufacturing of PUMA products. This analysis helped PUMA to determine the impacts that arise from the point of cotton or leather production to the point where PUMA products are sold in a PUMA store. However, a considerable part of PUMA’s environmental footprint comes about through the consumer disposal phase. The Bring Me Back program now addresses PUMA’s impact at that level, reducing the waste generation of sportlifestyle products.

The program furthermore sets the foundation for an initiative on products which are designed for recycling as PUMA is currently looking into solutions to develop recyclable or decompostable products. PUMA’s entire team is also working on achieving the company’s goal of having 50% of the international collections made of more sustainable materials by 2015. In 2011, about 16% of PUMA’s total apparel products were made of more sustainable materials such as recycled polyester, organic cotton and Cotton Made in Africa, proving that the company is right on track to reach this target.

Bring Me Back launches in PUMA Stores and Outlets across Germany from the 17 April 2012. PUMA Stores and Outlets include among others Berlin, Düsseldorf, Munich, Hamburg, Augsburg and Herzogenaurach. The program will roll out to a handful of additional markets in October 2012, with a full global roll-out slated for January 2013.

More information can be obtained on the soon to be launched website www.puma.com/bringmeback.


Notes to the Editors:

I:CO is a global recycling company that works in conjunction with retailers to house collection bins and give consumers a place where they can return old gear and help give valuable resources another life.

For further information and to find the nearest collection bin, visit puma.com/bringmeback (launched soon).

London, UK, May 30, 2012
PUMA WINS GUARDIAN SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS AWARDS 2012

PUMA’S FIRST HALF YEAR NET EARNINGS EXPECTED 13% BELOW THOSE OF 2011 - ADJUSTMENT OF SALES AND NET EARNINGS FORECASTS FOR THE FULL YEAR 2012

PUMA SE (ISIN: DE00069696303 WKN: 696960)
PUMA WAY 1, D-91074 Herzogenaurach

Despite continuous sales growth throughout the first half of 2012 (H1 2012 sales up 8.8% in Euro terms), the Sportlifestyle company PUMA herewith informs that, due to a slow-down of PUMA’s business particularly in Europe, its consolidated EBIT and Net Earnings for the first half year of 2012 will come in approximately 11% and 13% respectively below those for the first half year of 2011.

The Guardian Sustainable Business Awards (GSBAs) reward best practice in sustainable business, showcasing innovative corporate initiatives that tackle the most pressing environmental and social challenges businesses face and that are part of a comprehensive sustainability strategy.

Both the “Biodiversity sponsored by Friends of the Earth” and the overall awards went to PUMA’s Environmental Profit and Loss Account (E P&L). Last year, the Sportlifestyle company published this worldwide unprecedented Environmental Profit and Loss Account for the first time, analyzing environmental factors such as water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions throughout its core business and supply chain operations. As part of PUMA’s long-term sustainability plan, the analysis was commissioned in recognition that producing and selling PUMA products has a wide impact along the entire supply chain. By identifying the most significant environmental impacts, PUMA will develop solutions to address these issues.

Photo Credits: Conné/ PUMA
Bangalore, India, August 23, 2012
PUMA OPENS FIRST SUSTAINABLE PUMA STORE

PUMA today opened a sustainable PUMA Store in India, the first one worldwide revolutionizing the concept of retail spaces globally. The store – located in the Bangalore suburb Indiranagar – is spread over a total of 800 sq meters, has been locally developed and sourced and incorporates a number of revolutionary and innovative design elements to ensure major energy savings as well as environmentally friendly-sourcing practices. While the lower levels will serve as a retail area, a ‘PUMA Social Club’ cafe and bar will be located on the upper floor and terrace and will be ready to open by the end of 2012.

“In keeping with our mission of becoming the most desirable and sustainable Sportlifestyle company, PUMA is happy to take this pioneering step forward for the retail industry.”, said Franz Koch, CEO of PUMA. “Establishing a sustainable PUMA Store underlines our commitment to reduce CO2 emissions, energy, water and waste in PUMA offices, stores, warehouses and direct supplier factories by 2015.”

“The building is a true design marvel and incorporates a host of innovative sustainability features to make our sustainable PUMA Store a one-of-a-kind retail experience”, said Rajiv Mehta, Managing Director PUMA South Asia. “We are pleased to be a pioneer in sustainability again with setting new standards for an environmentally-friendly and resource-saving store concept in one of India’s best shopping locations.”

Features that meet the highest criteria for sustainability include:

  • Recycled steel from old DVD players, bicycles and tiffin boxes has been used to construct the building of the PUMA Store.
  • The surface layout of the building has been designed in a way that more than 90% of the interior spaces in this store have direct access to natural daylight so that less artificial light is needed.
  • The artificial lighting used in this store is energy efficient with fewer watts being consumed for the same lumen output.
  • The recessed first and second floor volume generates a stack-effect for natural cooling.
  • The highly insulated building shell allows for cooling without an air conditioning. Soil temperature, at a depth of about 12 feet or more stays fairly constant throughout the year and is approximately equal to the average annual ambient air temperature. The ground will be used as a heat sink for cooling in the summer and as a heat source for heating in the winter. A simple method used in this store is to pass air through the underground air tunnel.
  • By maintaining the temperature at a comfortable 24 degrees Celsius, PUMA leaves it warmer than in usual retail stores and thus conserves energy.
  • The sustainable PUMA Store is 100% solar-powered as solar photovoltaic cells provide 10,384 kwh units of energy a year.
  • The porotherm blocks used to construct the shell of the building have been made using silt from the lakes in Kunigal. These lakes are the only source of water for villages in Kunigal and hence are desilted every year to increase the water table. The silt usually ends up as waste, but has now been used as a valuable resource in the sustainable PUMA Store.
  • Under Floor Air Distribution helps to save further energy. Floor Air Distribution works on the principle that air in any particular space needs to be cooled only for the first eight feet from the floor because convection currents cause hot air to rise automatically while cool air remains at the bottom.
  • The furniture and fixture in this store were made of recycled wood while low volatile organic compound paint has been used to paint the Store’s walls.
  • The Store’s roof garden keeps the building insulated from the direct heat of the sun and the plants keep the temperature lower at all times.
  • A special insulation foam has been implemented in the roof which cuts down heat gains by reducing conduction.
  • Occupancy sensors provide automatic on/ off control so that lights are used when the room is occupied. When the space is unoccupied, the lights are automatically turned off.

The store will retail a range of products made from organic cotton as well as PUMA’s Wilderness Collection – a collection primarily sourced and produced in Africa using sustainable materials. For the first time in India, the sustainable PUMA Store also introduces PUMA’s global ‘Bring Me Back” Program – an in-store recycling program for footwear, apparel and soft accessories.

The launch event was carbon-neutral with all the energy consumed during the party being produced by customers and invitees through pedal power. This is a novel initiative whereby people pedal on a special bicycle generator that feeds into the main power source. In this way, power can be created and stored in a battery bank thereby eliminating reliance on traditional power sources.

To generate awareness and appreciation for sustainability amongst the citizens of Bangalore, PUMA has embarked upon an ambitious initiative to involve the art and design community. The brand has partnered with Trapeze Design Studio as well as young installation artists from the city to create large-format installations using waste material. These will then be put up in key locations around Bangalore city later this month as a strong message to highlight the glaring need to reuse, reduce and recycle – the cornerstone of waste minimization strategies. The aesthetic and utilitarian installations will be donated to the Bangalore Municipality and remain as permanent artworks to beautify the city-scape.

11. Juni 2013
ZDHC GROUP RELEASES JOINT ROADMAP, VERSION 2
TRANSFORMING THE GLOBAL APPAREL AND FOOTWEAR INDUSTRY TOWARDS ZERO DISCHARGE OF HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS

The Joint Roadmap, Version 2, presents the ZDHC Group’s long term vision, interim 2015 milestones and 2020 goals. It builds on the previous Joint Roadmap document and sets out a new plan, incorporating and reflecting comments received from a wide range of stakeholders, including textile industry suppliers and associations, government agencies in Asia, Europe and the United States, non-governmental organisations, international development organisations and the chemical industry.

“To achieve the goal of systemic change and commercialisation of new, preferred alternative chemistries, we will need to transform the industry’s manufacturing inputs and processes. This requires full collaboration amongst thousands of organisations,” said Jessica Wollmuth, ZDHC Programme Manager. “Good progress has been achieved thus far, and the Joint Roadmap, Version 2, lays a firm foundation for creating an apparel and footwear industry that delivers high quality products using safe chemistries.”


ZDHC Group achievements in the past year include having:

  • Completed chemical use and management surveys, and wastewater testing for approximately 150 analytes at 20 facilities in Bangladesh, China, India, Taiwan China and Vietnam
  • Completed a chemical inventory that is the most complete, publicly available compilation of information on chemicals used in the textile industry
  • Developed training materials in English and Chinese
  • Developed and delivered training to suppliers
  • Engaged with more than 350 potential stakeholders
  • Completed system mapping, critical to the understanding of the interconnected issues, leverage points and stakeholders involved.
  • Agreed to timelines for the phase out of C8 chemistry by no later than January 1, 2015
  • Worked with suppliers to address the most pressing chemicals of concern, starting with APEOS, and will continue to do so in 2013
  • Worked to identify safer chemistries and mechanisms to incentivise chemical suppliers to invest in these alternatives


“Building on the knowledge gained during the first full year of implementation, the Joint Roadmap, Version 2 provides an overview of the guiding principles and long-term vision of the ZDHC group, and defines key activities that will catalyse industry change,” said Wollmuth. By implementing tasks in seven workstreams defined in the Roadmap, specifically Chemical Hazard Assessment, Prioritisation and Action, Training, Right to Know, Assessment and Auditing, Management Systems Approach, Structure and Documentation Stakeholder Partnering, and Chemicals Management Best Practices Pilot. The ZDHC Group will develop and promote industry best practices to deliver a safer and cleaner environment. “Our goal is ambitious, and the ZDHC Group and partners are fully committed to working together to achieve it, “ said Wollmuth.

Herzogenaurach, Germany, January 21, 2016
MICHAEL BENNETT TO HEAD UP PUMA'S SUSTAINABILITY DEPARTMENT

Michael Bennett, Global Director of PUMA's trading services entity, has assumed responsibility for PUMA's Sustainability Department PUMA Safe, effective ­­January 2016.

Michael Bennett joined PUMA in January 2015 to lead PUMA International Trading Services Ltd. (PITS). The Hong Kong based entity is managing all business transactions between PUMA sales subsidiaries and its third party suppliers. In his role as the interface between PUMA and its suppliers, he is now also in charge for Global Sustainability and Compliance at PUMA.

Michael has 25 years of hands-on experience in sourcing, product development and sales, having worked in various senior management functions for companies such as Decathlon, Tesco and COACH Leatherware. He is based in Hong Kong and reports directly to PUMA's Chief Operating Officer Lars Sørensen. 

Dr. Reiner Hengstmann, former Global Director Sustainability and Compliance, led the Safe Department since 1999. He has left PUMA to pursue career opportunities outside the company.

Photo Credits: Christoph Maderer/ PUMA
Herzogenaurach, Germany, April 14, 2016
PUMA AND IFC SET UP FINANCING PROGRAM FOR SUPPLIERS TO REWARD SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS

Sports company PUMA and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, have entered into a partnership to provide financing to PUMA's suppliers in emerging markets. This innovative program, which is the first a European brand signs with IFC, will offer financial incentives for suppliers to improve environmental, health and safety and social standards. In its first phase, the program will be rolled out in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Pakistan and Vietnam.

IFC will adopt a financing structure with tiered pricing of short-term working capital, offering lower costs for those suppliers that achieve a high score in PUMA's supplier rating, that is applied after PUMA has monitored a supplier's adherence to the company's social and environmental standards through an auditing process.

“This financing program enables our suppliers to leverage their relationship with us and benefit from PUMA's strong reputation and financial position," said Lars Soerensen, PUMA’s Chief Operating Officer. "This is the first program in our company that rewards a supplier’s rating within PUMA’s environmental and sustainability program through related fees."

"IFC is the perfect partner for us to implement this program”, stated Frank Wächter, Senior Head of Treasury & Insurance at PUMA. "They have a proven track record in designing such programs and implementing them in countries in Asia, where many banks are not as active.”

Sergio Pimenta, IFC Director of Manufacturing, Agribusiness and Services said: “This agreement with PUMA advances IFC’s efforts to encourage small and medium companies such as PUMA’s suppliers to improve environmental and social sustainability while achieving strong financial results”. 

Ball Planet, a Chinese supplier of soccer balls with production facilities in China, is the first supplier to join the program. “We are keen to start using this financing facility, since access to affordable financing is always a challenge," Ken Hong, General Manager of Ball Planet Industrial Ltd., said: "This innovative program will not only help us improve our cash flow, but will also provide us with a financial incentive to improve our environmental, health and safety and social standards, which will ultimately reduce our operating costs and enhance our performance.” Ball Planet has been a business partner of PUMA since 2010.  

PUMA and IFC launched this initiative in partnership with GT Nexus, a cloud-based business network and platform for global trade and supply chain management. The platform enables participants to operate against a core, real-time set of information across multiple supply chain functions. This optimizes the flow of goods, funds and trade information.

IFC provides financing to ready-made garment and footwear suppliers through its Global Trade Supplier Finance (GTSF) program, which provides working capital to suppliers backed by receivables from international buyers. Supplier finance is a scalable way for suppliers in emerging markets to access affordable financing for their receivables over a period defined by the terms of credit. Established in 2010, IFC’s GTSF program is a $500 million multicurrency investment and advisory program that provides short-term finance to emerging-market suppliers and small and midsized exporters.

Herzogenaurach, Germany - March 28, 2018
CAN BACTERIA IN CLOTHING REALLY MAKE AN ATHLETE FASTER?

PUMA AND MIT DESIGN LAB PRESENT LATEST RESEARCH IN THE FIELD OF BIODESIGN

A breathing sports shoe, that grows its own air passageways to enable personalized ventilation? A learning insole that prevents fatigue and improves athletes’ performance? A t-shirt that responds to environmental factors by changing its appearance to inform the wearer about the air quality?

What sounds like future visions are actually research results by Sports company PUMA and the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Design Lab that will be showcased at the Milan Design Week 2018 in April. PUMA and MIT Design Lab have been conducting research in the field of biodesign since June 2017. Biodesign is the practice of using living materials such as algae or bacteria to create products. It makes possible a football jersey made from the silk of a spider or a shoe box grown from mycelium, the root structure of mushrooms. PUMA Biodesign explores the new frontiers of biological design and fabrication to bring advances in science and biotechnologies closer to our daily lives through sport products.  

The exhibition in Milan, which is powered by the Biorealize desktop bioprototyping platform, will focus on how the next generation of athletic footwear, apparel and wearables can adapt in real-time by using living organisms to enhance performance.

The exhibition will show four experiments: a Breathing Shoe, a Deep Learning Insole, Carbon Eaters and Adaptive Packaging.

The biologically active Breathing Shoe pushes the boundaries of biofabrication and enables personalized ventilation by growing its own air passageways that keep the foot cool.

The next generation Deep Learning Insoles improve the athlete’s performance through real-time biofeedback. The sole uses organisms to measure long and short-term chemical phenomena that indicate fatigue and well-being.

The microbially-active t-shirt responds to environmental factors by changing its appearance and informing the user about air quality.

The research has also looked beyond current wearables and produced biologically programmable materials that change their shape and structure to become new types of alive, biodegradable and adaptive packaging.

The Milan Design Week runs from 17-22 April 2018.

Herzogenaurach, Germany, May 18, 2021
Nine out of ten PUMA products will be made with more sustainable materials by 2025

By 2025, nine out of ten PUMA products will be made of more sustainable materials, as the sports company aims to make a positive environmental impact across its product range.

In 2020, PUMA already achieved an important milestone by sourcing 100% of the core materials used in its Apparel and Accessories, such as down, viscose and cotton, from more sustainable sources.  Above 97% of other materials such as leather,  polyester and cardboard also came from certified sources in 2020. This means that 5 out of 10 PUMA products were made from more sustainable materials last year.

By opting for such materials, PUMA reduces the amount of water and chemicals used in the production process compared to conventional materials. As a next step, PUMA will increase the amount of recycled materials in its Apparel and Accessories products and by 2025, 75% of the polyester used in these PUMA products will be from recycled sources. As part of this commitment, we joined the “Recycled Polyester Challenge” by global nonprofit organization Textile Exchange.

“In our sustainability strategy, we focus on making the largest possible positive impact, so our customers know that by buying a PUMA product, they buy a sustainably sourced product,” said Stefan Seidel, Head of Corporate Sustainability at PUMA. “We will continue to push hard to live up to our mission statement of being ‘Forever Better’.”

After establishing its first sustainability strategy more than 20 years ago, PUMA has set up a comprehensive list of targets, the 10FOR25, which seeks to make the company as a whole and its products more sustainable. The targets include commitments on topics such as climate, human rights, biodiversity and circularity.

In 2021, PUMA also launched several collections with a specific sustainability focus. PUMA sought to rethink waste with the ReGen collection, which is made from PUMA’s own waste material and other recycled materials: leather off-cuts, cotton off-cuts, and polyester made from recycled plastic. The Exhale collection, which was made together with model and climate activist Cara Delevingne, uses recycled polyester and offsets the carbon footprint.

The products of the First Mile collection, first introduced in 2020, use sustainable yarn made from recycled plastic. Through the recycling process, First Mile also creates jobs and strengthens micro-economies in Taiwan China, Haiti, and Honduras.

With these collections, as well as other ranges made from organic, recycled or vegan materials, PUMA shows its engagement to offer products made sustainably.

 

PUMA Forever Better
Herzogenaurach, Germany, November 4, 2021
No Time for Waste: PUMA pilots testing for biodegradable RE:SUEDE version of its most iconic sneaker

Sports company PUMA has developed an experimental version of its most iconic sneaker, the SUEDE, to test for a product to make it biodegradable. By doing so, PUMA aims to meet the growing demand for sustainable products for a better future. The RE:SUEDE, which uses the latest technology available today, will be made from more sustainable materials such as Zeology tanned suede, biodegradable TPE and hemp fibres.

Puma

The RE:SUEDE experiment is a pilot in circularity, and today’s ultimate expression of the next generation SUEDE – with the ambition to set new standards of sustainability for the iconic shoe. Designed to help address the challenge of waste management in the footwear industry, the RE:SUEDE experiment will allow PUMA to take more responsibility when it comes to tackling the ‘after life’ of its products.  The pilot will launch in 2022, offering 500 selected participants in Germany the chance to join PUMA on its experimental journey towards circularity.

In partnership with PUMA, participants will wear their RE:SUEDEs for six months to test out the durability of a product using biodegradable materials in real life, before sending them back to PUMA via a take back infrastructure, designed to move the products to the next step in the experiment. The sneakers will then be subject to an industrial biodegradation process in a controlled environment at Valor Compostering B.V., owned by Ortessa Groep B.V., a family-run business of waste specialists in the Netherlands. The goal of this step is to determine if Grade A compost can be produced for agricultural use. The findings will help PUMA assess the biodegradable process and unpick essential research and development for the future of sustainable shoe consumption.

The RE:SUEDE experiment is the first circular programme to launch under PUMA’s “Circular Lab” – a new innovation hub, which is led by PUMA’s sustainability and design experts who work to develop the future of the company’s circularity programmes.

This pilot is a recharged, refreshed experiment in circularity, following PUMA’s exploration in the space in 2012, which saw the brand’s first attempt to create a biodegradable sneaker as part of its InCycle collection. Yet after four seasons, the sneaker was discontinued due to low demand and the need for further research and development.

Since 2012, PUMA’s innovation department has worked to address the technological limitations of the InCycle collection in order to apply such learnings into the RE:SUEDE experiment. Improvements include the use of new, innovative materials such as Zeology suede, which is made using a more sustainable tanning process and ensures better comfort for the wearer, when compared to other biodegradable materials evaluated at PUMA. The outsole of the RE:SUEDE has also been improved to ensure optimal wear.

“In 2012, our circular ambition was bold but the technology wasn’t quite there. As they say, with every challenge there’s an opportunity - and we’ve continued to push ourselves to do better by applying our strengths as well as acknowledging and improving on our weaknesses,” said Heiko Desens, PUMA’s Creative Director. “We hope that progress made during the RE:SUEDE experiment: ‘No Time For Waste‘ will help us continue to raise the bar in circularity testing – enabling our consumers to make better fashion choices in the future, so their sneakers can go ‘from Suede to Soil’, without compromising on product style or durability during ownership.”

Puma

About the partnership with Ortessa, Desens further comments: “We’re excited to partner with the experts at Ortessa, who share our passion in developing proactive and pragmatic solutions to the industry‘s waste problem. Their expertise is fundamental in helping us learn more about the after life of the RE:SUEDE, so we can continue moving forwards on our exploration of circularity.“

Rob Meulendijks, CEO of Ortessa comments: “As a family owned challenger in the waste industry, we pride ourselves in creating surprising innovations and fresh concepts to tackle real waste issues in a different and open way. There is a lot more we can all be doing to help tackle waste management, but taking on that challenge alone can be a difficult task for any brand. We are delighted to be working in partnership with PUMA on this special project, where we can apply our deep knowledge and insights on waste, use tried and controlled methods, to assess the biodegradability of the future, next-generation SUEDE.“

PUMA aims to share the results and insights gained from this experiment within the industry to achieve an even bigger impact when it comes to addressing the challenge of waste management in the footwear industry in general. Circularity is one of the pillars of PUMA’s FOREVER BETTER sustainability strategy. By 2025, PUMA aims to reduce waste by increasing the level of recycled polyester in its products to 75%, setting up product takeback schemes in its major markets and developing recycled material options for leather, rubber, cotton and polyurethane.

Since its first iteration in 1968, the PUMA SUEDE has been at the forefront of cultural turning points, transcending style and trends. With the RE:SUEDE, PUMA wants to give its consumers a stylish and more sustainable choice, while showcasing the latest technologies.

Herzogenaurach, Germany, March 3, 2022
PUMA recruits 500 testers for next phase of RE:SUEDE project

Sports company PUMA is looking for 500 people in Germany to join brand ambassadors such as Cara Delevingne and Raphaël Varane to test the RE:SUEDE sneaker and become a part of the company’s experiment to see whether it can make a biodegradable version of its classic SUEDE.

With the RE:SUEDE project, PUMA has the ambition to set new standards of sustainability for the iconic SUEDE, as it tests whether the sneaker can biodegrade in the controlled setting of an industrial composting facility. In May, 500 participants will receive a pair of RE:SUEDEs to test. They are expected to wear the sneaker for six months and then send it back to PUMA. To thank them for their participation in the project, they will receive a new pair of RE:SUEDEs.

“We want participants to wear the RE:SUEDE as part of their daily routine,” said Stefan Seidel, PUMA’s Head of Corporate Sustainability. “That is how we can gather realistic feedback about the durability of the materials used in the sneaker.”

German residents looking to join the experiment can register on PUMA’s website https://eu.puma.com/de/en/resuede by March 14. PUMA will then draw 500 people, who will receive the RE:SUEDE and wear it for half a year before sending it back to PUMA.

The returned RE:SUEDEs will be tested for biodegradability at an industrial composting facility operated by Dutch waste specialists Ortessa. PUMA will share the results of the RE:SUEDE experiment with its industry peers, to find better solutions for the waste management challenges the whole industry faces.

Even though the RE:SUEDE looks like its predecessor, which has been one of PUMA’s most iconic models since the 1960s, biodegradability has been the main focus of the RE:SUEDE program.

This is reflected in the choice of materials, such as Zeology tanned suede, biodegradable TPE and hemp fibres.

Herzogenaurach, Germany, 23 March, 2022
RE:JERSEY – PUMA trials Garment-to-Garment Recycling in Circularity Project, using old Football Kits to produce new ones
Sports company PUMA will pilot an innovative production process to use existing football jerseys to produce new ones. This initiative is aimed at reducing waste and paving the way towards more circular production models in the future.

The process used in RE:JERSEY means that old garments that feature logos, embroideries and club badges, which previously hindered recycling efforts to turn old garments into new ones, can now be used. The RE:JERSEY project takes football kits as the major ingredient to create yarn for new jerseys.

In the recycling process used for the RE:JERSEY project, the garments are chemically broken down into their 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.

While PUMA’s football kits on the market today are already made from 100% recycled polyester, RE:JERSEY kits are made with 75% repurposed football jerseys. The remaining 25% comes from SEAQUAL ® MARINE PLASTIC1.

“With the RE:JERSEY project, we wanted to develop ways to reduce our environmental impact, respect resources and reuse materials,” said Howard Williams, Director Apparel Technology at PUMA. “The insights we gained with RE:JERSEY will help us develop more circular products in the future."

The 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 RE:JERSEY pilot experiment is part of PUMA’s Circular Lab and its Forever Better sustainability platform. As part of Circular Lab, PUMA announced the RE:SUEDE  program last year, which tests, whether the company can make a biodegradable version of its iconic SUEDE sneaker.

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