Herzogenaurach, 17 November 2008 – The Sportlifestyle company PUMA for the first time produced footballs under fair trade conditions in order to endorse a campaign focusing on the prevention of juvenile delinquency in South Africa. In cooperation with the Bavarian government and the Internationales Katholisches Missionswerk missio, PUMA will provide 5,000 footballs—bearing the fair trade certification mark - for the initiative “Club der guten Hoffnung” (Club of Good Hope) to be used in football games at Bavarian and South African schools. For this purpose, PUMA’s long-term football supplier Ali Trading in Pakistan was checked for compliance with Fairtrade standards and was certified by the independent certification organization FLO-CERT.

“We are pleased that we can support this initiative with PUMA footballs sporting the Fair Trade mark,“ said Horst Widmann, Vice President of PUMA. “The football games will bring young people together in a peaceful way and will help curtail youth violence. At the same time, we helped further improve the working conditions in our supplier’s factory in Pakistan.”

Horst Widmann handed over the Fair Trade ball to the President of Missio in Munich,  Pater Eric Englert (OSA), who said: “I am sure the young football players will be very  delighted about the ball. The passion for football truly connects people. Pastoral care, educational programmes and sports all contribute to social integration of unprivileged young people in South Africa.”

PUMA has undertaken audits at its suppliers’ factories for more than ten years, monitoring for strict adherence to its Code of Conduct. This guarantees that the manufacturers comply with standards such as respecting human rights, freedom of association, prohibition of child labour as well as the payment of minimum wages. The PUMA auditors monitor various indicators such as the employees’ working hours, the rates of pay, employment contracts, health and safety standards in the workplace as well as the appropriate disposal of waste.

The independent Fair Trade certification mark guarantees in addition that the PUMA manufacturer in Pakistan receives a premium of 10 percent of the ball’s purchasing price, which the firm has to invest—after a democratic vote among the factory’s management, workers and employees—into social, economic or ecological development projects on the premises.

The PUMA football was publicly launched on November 17, 2008 at the Bavarian Ministry of Education in Munich during the presentation of the initiative “Club der guten Hoffnung”. The event was attended by representatives of the different charity organisations, Secretary of State for Education Dr. Marcel Huber, PUMA Vice President Horst Widmann and other corporate representatives, politicians and sportsmen.

The PUMA Fair Trade Ball is available for sale at the PUMA Online Store.