Puma’s sustainability strategy pays off
Sportswear brand Puma has been awarded the 2010 German Sustainability Award in the ‘most sustainable strategy’ category.
The company’s PUMAVision concept combines sustainable business process with creativity and innovation, according to the jury, which was headed by Günther Bachmann, secretary general of the council for sustainable development.
The brand’s chief executive officer and chief sustainability officer, Jochen Zeitz, collected the award from federal environment minister, Norbert Röttgen, at a special awards ceremony in Düsseldorf.
He said: “We are very pleased that Puma’s extensive endeavours to become not only the most desirable but also the most sustainable sportlifestyle company worldwide have been recognised and rewarded with the German Sustainability Award.
“I am convinced that it must become a given that every company has to be sustainable and I am grateful that the German Sustainability Award acknowledges sustainable business strategies and hence underpins the imperative for corporations to change their business practices for the better.”
Puma has been collecting E-KPIs (environmental key performance indicators) from all of its offices and stores over the last five years and identified several key areas to help reduce its “paw print”. It has laid out ambitious targets to be achieved by 2015 as part of the company’s long-term sustainability programme.
Its sustainability index, or S-Index, will serve as an internal benchmark for sustainable products and communicates the products’ sustainable features to consumers. Half of its international collections will be manufactured according to the S-Index standard by 2015, using sustainable materials such as organic cotton, Cotton Made in Africa or recycled polyester, as well as applying best practice production processes.
Puma aims to reduce CO2, energy, water and waste in offices, stores, warehouses and direct supplier factories by 25% over the next four years. Introducing a paperless office policy will curtail paper usage by 75% and more efficient product transport solutions should reduce CO2 emissions by 25%.
