Sportlifestyle company PUMA has extended its range of sustainable products and launched three African-themed fashion collections, featuring apparel made of sustainable cotton from sub-Saharan countries. By using this high-quality raw material, PUMA supports the Aid by Trade Foundation’s “Cotton Made in Africa” initiative which helps improving living conditions of African cotton farmers and their families and makes a solid contribution to the protection of the environment.

In the light of PUMA’s ongoing and long-term commitment for the African football as the official supplier to a dozen national teams across the continent, PUMA has launched the African-themed fashion collections “From the PUMA Archives”, “Africa United” and African Football Fan Wear in the run-up to the World Cup 2010 in South Africa which is a great starting position for the tournament. From July 2009 onwards, the collections will be available in PUMA stores worldwide. The products such as T-shirts and sweatshirts will carry the ‘Cotton Made in Africa” label.

“We are proud that our African-themed collections have been created with African involvement which makes them much more authentic,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO of PUMA. “PUMA’s commitment to Africa now goes beyond our position as the leading supplier for African Football Teams. Following our vision of creating a better world, we do our part to improve quality of life and environmental standards in Africa by supporting Cotton Made in Africa.”

 “I am very pleased that such a strong partner like PUMA got engaged in the project Cotton Made in Africa,” said Dr. Johannes Merck, Executive Director of the Aid By Trade Foundation. “This cooperation underpins and reinforces the work of both partners and contributes considerably to the commitment of giving sustainable cotton a fair chance on the world market. It will help African cotton farmers to escape poverty by themselves in the medium term.”

PUMA is striving to integrate the idea of eco-efficiency into its product cycle, in order to harmonise business practice and the availability of natural resources. PUMA, for example, was the first sports goods company to ban PVC from its product range. Although PVC has very good technical characteristics, PUMA decided to take this step as the production and disposal of PVC can cause damage to the environment. For more info about our PVC free policy please read here.

Cotton in Africa is produced without artificial irrigation due to lack of financial resources, the lack of infrastructure and low water reserves. An efficient use of rainfall is therefore all the more important. If cotton is grown as a monoculture (the practice of producing only a single crop over a wide area) the land can quickly become exhausted and infertile. As a result, large areas of once fertile arable land may soon become unsuitable for farming—not least because of the incorrect use of chemicals—and can therefore no longer be used in the production of staple foods.

The “Cotton Made in Africa” project wants to create an efficient management of farms by offering training and advice. Techniques such as mulching to prevent high-levels of evaporation from the soil or balanced fertilisation are crucial. Farmers participating in the “Cotton made in Africa” project are taught the relevant skills in facilities such as “Farmer Field Schools.” The project is currently in place in Benin, Burkina Faso, Mozambique and Zambia, while more countries are being evaluated for participation at the moment.

Cotton’s contribution to the fight against poverty in Africa could be much greater under different conditions. Improved growing conditions, a surge in demand for African cotton from big retailers in industrial countries, as well as a more efficient and transparent international supply chain could all achieve this. By offering such things as practical help and training for producers, this results to mutually beneficial business relations and improves social and ecological standards in the cotton chain at the same time.

The destruction of the environment, soil pollution and dwindling supplies of drinking water in developing countries are inextricably linked to unsustainable use of natural resources and to increasing levels of poverty. Realising that the resources essential for life have to be protected and only sustainable development can ensure prospects for future generations, Dr. Michael Otto created the Aid by Trade Foundation in 2005. Together with governmental and non-governmental organisations such as WWF, Deutsche Welthungerhilfe, Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft (DEG), Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), the Melinda & Bill Gates Foundation as well as various partners from business, political and the scientific world, the foundation wants to make a contribution to the fight against poverty and to environmental protection in countries of the south, especially in Africa.

For more about Cotton Made In Africa, please visit http://www.cotton-made-in-africa.com/Home/en