PUMA’s journey towards more sustainable footwear
Source: https://sustainabilitymag.com/articles/pumas-journey-towards-more-sustainable-footwear
Author: Stefan Seidel
The company recently announced some important results. Between 2017 and 2021, PUMA reduced its own carbon emissions worldwide (from offices, stores and warehouses) by 88% by buying renewable energy or renewable energy certificates and by moving its car fleet to engines without tailpipe emissions. In Los Angeles, PUMA introduced its first electric trucks to shift goods from the port to its warehouse in Torrance, California. Despite its strong growth between 2017 and 2021, PUMA also managed to reduce the carbon emissions coming from its supply chain. The company achieved this by helping its suppliers source more renewable energy and by using more sustainable, and therefore less carbon intensive, materials. The use of such materials is crucial to make more sustainable choices at scale. In 2021, PUMA expanded the use of recycled polyester to 55% in its Apparel products, as part of its strategy to use 75% recycled polyester in its Apparel and Accessories by 2025. It is also on track to remove plastic shopping bags from all of its stores this year.By 2025, PUMA aims to have more sustainable components in 90% of its footwear. This includes developing recycled options for leather, rubber and polyurethane. The first repurposed leather materials were already introduced in PUMA’s RE:Gen collection in 2021.