Puma Makes Progress in Use of Recycled Materials as It Continues Sustainability Journey

Stephen Garner
·3 min read

Puma continued to scale up the use of recycled materials in 2022, making seven out of 10 products from “better materials” like cotton and viscose from certified sources, according to the company’s latest sustainability report.

In the report, the German athletic company said it is on track to reach its goal of making nine out of 10 products with better materials by 2025, and has continued to power 100 percent of its offices, stores and warehouses with renewable energy in 2022. Puma added that its suppliers have also increased the use of renewable energy in the supply chain, where most of its carbon emissions originate.

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Puma’s core suppliers, which represent approximately 80 percent of Puma’s production volume, more than doubled their consumption of renewable energy in just one year, from 0.2 percent in 2017 to 11 percent in 2022. Puma said this was achieved through the installation of large-scale solar power systems at selected suppliers and the purchase of renewable energy certificates. By 2025, the company 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 percent 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, Puma noted.

“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,” Anne-Laure Descours, chief sourcing officer at Puma, said in a statement. “We know there is still a lot of work to be done, but we are encouraged by the progress we made last year.”

For Puma, which was honored with the Sustainability Leadership Award at the 36th annual FN Achievement Awards in November, its environmental strategy is more than a box to check off.

As part of its 10for25 sustainability strategy, Puma publicly outlined a series of goals it’s targeting for the year 2025. The plan involves working toward renewable energy alternatives, using more environmentally preferred materials and offering more sustainable products to consumers.

In addition to Puma’s presence at events like the UN’s Climate Change Conference, the company works together with other brands and corporations toward a common goal of limiting their impact on the environment.

In September, more than 200 sustainability activists, experts, ambassadors, consumers and brand employees gathered for Puma’s “Conference of the People” initiative.

This event sought to address sustainability challenges within the fashion industry. The goal of the conference was to address solutions regarding the challenge of sustainability within the fashion world, with a specific focus on waste and product afterlife. The conversation was tailored to address a global Gen Z audience.

In April, Puma launched “Voices of a Re:Generation,” a program that brings together four young environmentalist “voices” from across Europe and the U.S. over a year-long period. According to the German athletic company, the four individuals will work with Puma to “translate” sustainability in a way that makes sense to, and engages with, Gen Z.

To read Puma’s full 2022 Sustainability Report, click here.

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