Sports company PUMA has made 7 out of 10 products from better materials in 2022, according to the company’s Sustainability Report 2022, as it further scaled up the use of recycled materials.

Better materials, such as cotton and viscose from certified sources or recycled polyester, have a smaller environmental footprint in terms of CO2 emissions and allow PUMA to improve its environmental impact across its product range. Since 2017, we have been able to reduce PUMA’s CO2emissions from materials by 32%. Overall CO2 emissions could be reduced by 7%*, despite a significant growth in sales.

“Our Forever Better strategy aims to make PUMA better across the entire value chain, whether it comes to materials, carbon emissions, circularity or human rights,” said Anne-Laure Descours, Chief Sourcing Officer at PUMA. “We know there is still a lot of work to be done, but we are encouraged by the progress we made last year.”

While PUMA, which is on track to reach its goal of making 9 out of 10 products with better materials by 2025, continued to power 100%* of its offices, stores and warehouses with renewable energy in 2022, its suppliers also increased the use of renewable energy in the supply chain, where most of PUMA’s carbon emissions originate.

PUMA’s core suppliers, which represent approximately 80 % of PUMA’s production volume, more than doubled their consumption of renewable energy in just one year, from 0.2% in 2017 to 11% in 2022. This was achieved through the installation of large-scale solar power systems at selected suppliers and the purchase of renewable energy certificates. By 2025, PUMA aims to more than double this figure once again and get its core suppliers to source a quarter of their energy needs from renewable sources.

More than 50% of the polyester used in PUMA’s apparel and accessories came from recycled materials and the company also started to scale up the use of recycled cotton.

At the same time, PUMA made progress with its Forever Better experiments RE:SUEDE, which tests for a biodegradable sneaker, and RE:FIBRE, which aims to scale up more advanced polyester recycling technologies. Both projects continue in 2023.

To ensure that the rights of the more than half a million workers in PUMA’s supply chain were upheld, the company collected audit reports from 510 factories producing finished products and materials in 2022.

PUMA’s sustainability report is available at https://annual-report.puma.com. As a result of the feedback PUMA received during its first “Conference of the People” in London in 2022 and to reach out to young audiences, parts of the sustainability report will also be made available as a podcast on Spotify, launching June 1, 2023.

*Including renewable energy attribute certificates

Sports company PUMA has created a podcast series to make its 2022 Sustainability Report more accessible and to reach a wider and younger audience. The RE:GEN REPORTS podcast features next-generation thinkers from six countries and distills the content of the report into 10 podcast episodes, of which the first three are available on all major podcast platforms on June 1.

The RE:GEN REPORTS podcast, as well as the recently announced Voices of a Re:Generation project, comes as a direct result of the feedback PUMA received at last year’s Conference of the People, which the company organized to discuss solutions for some of the fashion industry’s most pressing sustainability challenges with Gen-Z representatives, industry peers and experts.

“We believe in collaboration, when it comes to sustainability, whether it is NGOs, brands or consumers, especially young people, who will have to live with the decisions made today,” says Anne-Laure Descours, Chief Sourcing Officer at PUMA. “During last year’s Conference of the People, we saw that we needed to do more to reach out to younger generations when we talk about sustainability. A sustainability report as a podcast has never been done before in our industry, but we believe it is an important step to connect with GEN-Z audiences and open up these important conversations.”

Each episode of RE:GEN REPORTS will discuss one of PUMA’s 10for25 sustainability targets, covering topics from human rights to sustainable material sourcing, to explain why the company set targets in these areas and what progress it has made. An additional seven episodes will be released weekly from June 8 until July 20.

Based on PUMA’s target to train 100,000 direct and indirect staff on women’s empowerment comes the Human Rights episode. Anya Dillard, US-based award-winning activist, model, and social entrepreneur speaks to Viola Wan, PUMA’s Teamhead of Social Sustainability based in China. The episode discusses PUMA’s audit work with factories in its supply chain.

A target to make 100% of all PUMA products safe to use is the basis of the Chemicals episode. This episode features Germany-based sustainable and healthy living vlogger Luke Jaque-Rodney in conversation with Klaas Nuttbohm from ZDHC, an organisation leading the fashion industry to eliminate harmful chemicals. Luke is one of PUMA’s Voices of a Re:Generation, working with PUMA to translate sustainability in a way that makes sense to and engages with the next generation.

The third episode, Circularity, is based on the target to reduce production waste to landfills by at least 50%. US-based up-cycler, and another of PUMA’s Voices of a Re:Generation, Andrew Burgess is joined by PUMA’s Senior Manager Corporate Strategy, Simon Hessel. The two discuss the chemical recycling process and how it’s used in RE:FIBRE, PUMA’s textile to textile recycling project.

Collaboration across the industry is key to unlocking sustainable progress. Throughout the podcast series, PUMA will feature representatives from industry bodies, businesses and NGOs that push brands to ensure more sustainable practises are in place and monitored. Guests on RE:GEN REPORTS include Fair Labour Association’s Chief of Staff, Shelly Han, UNFCCC’s Sector’s Engagement in Climate Action Lead, Lindita Xhaferi-Salihu, Canopy’s Founder and Executive Director, Nicole Rycroft and Leather Working Group’s Traceability Manager, Vanessa Brain.

PUMA has secured the help of several next-generation entrepreneurs and sustainability experts to host each episode such as Amina Shakeel, Fair Labour Association (FLA) student committee member, Bertha Shum, Hong Kong based founder and CEO of Earthero, Ripudaman Bevli, India based environmentalist and social activist, Melissa Tan, Malaysia based climate action and sustainability advocate, Yumika Hoskin, US-based Pecobag founder, Diandra Marizet US-based intersectional environmentalist, and Monica Buchan-Ng, the Acting Head of Knowledge Exchange at the Centre for Sustainable Fashion in the UK.

PUMA’s sustainability efforts have been recognized several times. In 2022, the brand topped the Business of Fashion sustainability ranking, the platform on living wage financials ranking, and the FTSE4Good ranking within its sectors. It was included in the Corporate Knights global top 100 most sustainable companies ranking, maintained its triple-A ranking with MSCI and its prime status with ISS; two leading sustainability rating agencies. Reuters also ranked it as number two within its sector and, in S&P sustainability benchmarking, PUMA outperformed all other sports brands for the first time since 2010.

PUMA’s full 2022 Sustainability Report can be accessed here.

For more information about the RE:GEN Reports podcast and to listen to first three episodes, click here.

The next drop of the RE.GEN line drops on PUMA.com, PUMA stores and select retailers.