The PUMA Lacelet Lounge at THE LIFT made a special appearance at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. Between January 22 and 26, celebrities got the opportunity to design and create their own PUMA Lacelets. PUMA Lacelets are collectable shoelaces featuring patterns from world-renowned artist Kehinde Wiley that can be used in the traditional sense or to create a variety of unique designs.  PUMA and United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) announced the ‘Play for Life’ partnership earlier this month to support the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity by raising awareness about habitat and species conservation and specific initiatives in Africa for 2010.  The celebrity designed Lacelets will be auctioned off to support biodiversity programs worldwide, through the help of UNEP.   In addition, PUMA will be making a further donation to these programs in the names of those who attended the festival…

Attendees to date include Samuel L. Jackson, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Mark Ruffalo, Diego Luna, Lil Jon, Morgan Spurlock, Dax Shepard, Adrian Grenier, Kerry Washington, Juliette Lewis, Wilmer Valderrama, Embeth Davidtz, Jason Ritter, Paul Scheer, Shawn Ashmore, Michael Chiklis, Tyler Labine, Gregory Michael, Emma Bell, Noureen DeWulf, Shawn Doyle, Constantine Maroulis, Chris Ashworth, Sam Levine, and Johnathan Woodward among others.

Actress Juliette Lewis at the PUMA Lacelet Lounge

Actor Samuel L Jackson at the PUMA Lacelet Lounge

Actor Ryan Gosling at the PUMA Lacelet Lounge

Nairobi – PUMA, the Sportlifestyle Company, is one of the latest partners to join the “Seal The Deal!” campaign. The company is calling for negotiations in Copenhagen to protect the planet and create a sustainable economy.
In its PUMA World Report, a CEO newsletter sent out to all staff worldwide, it says “failure to reach a comprehensive agreement now would put our planet’s future at risk as most scientists agree that the continued unlimited emission of greenhouse gases will lead to irreversible damages to our climate and ecosystems.”
PUMA also says that they have started to track their environmental performance on a per employee basis for the offices, stores and warehouses worldwide. PUMA has set the target of reducing energy and water consumption as well as waste creation by 25% for their offices by 2010 compared to a 2005 benchmark. Further targets for stores and logistics are in preparation. PUMA also states it is actively working on reducing its direct and indirect carbon emissions. A first step in this direction was the recent switch to green electricity from renewable resources for all major German operations. Furthermore, with the new Head Office PUMA Plaza just weeks short of the opening, a solar power plant and other state of the art environmental technology realized at the Plaza set a strong example for other PUMA buildings to follow.

Sustainability for PUMA does not end at PUMA owned operations but is also a major topic in the supply chain. A pilot project with the Global Reporting Initiative has lead to the publication of three supplier sustainability reports in South Africa. Further supplier reports in seven countries covering three continents are currently in preparation.
Jochen Zeitz, CEO and Chairman of the Board of PUMA said, “Our 2007/ 2008 PUMAVision Sustainability Report is a testament to the fact that we at PUMA do not simply talk about sustainable development, we take action.” “We are proud of our successes over the years and of our commitment to sustainability and the highest ethical standards, but realize that when it comes to corporate responsibility, there is and will always be room for improvement” Zeitz added.

Based on the principle of sustainable development, and in line with our mission of “Sustainable Excellence 2010”, we at PUMA have regularly review our own “Paw print” related to energy, water consumption and waste creation since 2005.

Starting from where our influence is greatest—at our own offices—we tracked our environmental performance on a per employee basis for our offices worldwide. We then compared the results and advised offices on how they can use resources more efficiently. This tracking of the Environmental Key Performance Indicators, E-KPIs, has been established as an ongoing process and is being followed up on a yearly basis.

Based on the results of the years 2005 and 2006, we have set an ambitious target by 2010 to reduce energy and water consumption as well as waste creation by 25%.

With the implementation of a professional software for E-KPI tracking worldwide, and the integration and alignment of PUMA’s reporting system to that of our parent company PPR, the year 2008 marks a significant step ahead in our internal environmental management system. The new software not only helped us to expand the scope and accuracy of the data collection systems, but also allowed us to capture separate data for warehouses and stores.

Electricity:

We went a long way from our first round of data capturing covering 2005 to the data campaign 2008. While only 26 countries provided figures in our first excel based questionnaire back then, now 46 PUMA countries keyed in detailed separate data for offices, warehouses and stores in a professional web-based questionnaire following a clearly defined reporting protocol of our mother company PPR.

The chart displayed above indicates that our set reduction target for electricity was already achieved in 2008. However, the data comparability is limited due to the different scope and software systems used. Hence we will review this target and aim for a more consistent data capturing within the next years. Read more

PUMA Vision Headquarters

The electricity for the new PUMA Headquarters will derive from sustainable resources.  Beginning with this fall, the PUMA Vision HQ will receive electricity provided by the German company LichtBlick, which is specialized in green power. This cooperation emphasizes PUMA’s efforts to reduce our environmental paw print and stands in line with the concept that guided the construction of the new headquarters. Electricity that LichtBlick provides is made of renewable resources, such as water, wind and sun.
By using sustainable energy, PUMA will be able to save more than 4.200 tons of carbon emissions each year, underpinning our goal to significantly reduce PUMA’s emissions by 2010. LichtBlick will provide PUMA’s headquarters, the logistics center in  Schluesselfeld and three PUMA stores in Germany, including the new store in Herzogenaurach with the sustainable electricity.  You can read the Press Relase from Lichtblick here (available only in German).

PUMA’s new company headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany, reflect our serious commitment to building a better tomorrow. Strictly adhering to our own environmental policy, our new headquarters integrate a number of innovative energy-saving concepts with the intention of reducing our company carbon footprint and contributing positively to mitigating climate change.

Scheduled for completion at the end of 2009 and implementing innovating sustainable technologies, PUMA’s new main building—with a total investment of around € 50 million—will significantly reduce PUMA’s electricity and water usage (and costs), as well as our local carbon “pawprint.”

Called the “PUMA Plaza”, the new headquarters covers an area of 50,000 square metres and includes an administration center, a Brand Center, and Concept and Factory Outlet Store. Environmentally-friendly methods heat and cool each of the buildings, maintaining steady and correct temperatures via concrete core temperature control – a low-energy and ecologically efficient application. A photovoltaic power system, 1,000 square metres in size and installed on the roof of the Outlet building, will produce 70,000 kwh per year of electricity, meeting the annual energy needs equivalent to 20 3-4 person households. Combined with 140 square metres of solar modules built into the buildings’ window facades, PUMA will produce 35 tonnes less of CO2 per year. It is estimated that over the course of the photovoltaic power system lifespan (approximately 25 years), PUMA will save a total of 875 tonnes of carbon dioxide. The main building’s solar panels provide the added benefit of heating all of the water at PUMA Plaza.

As testament to PUMA’s commitment to reduce water consumption, all toilets will be eventually converted to flush with “greywater”—or, rainwater collected in a central cistern. The extensive turfing of the 1500 square metres of roof atop the Brand Centre and the visitors restaurant will provide an aesthetic complement to the Plaza while acting as insulation against heat and UV-rays in order to maintain more comfortable indoor temperatures. Censors which turn lights off automatically when motion is not detected (such as when employees are not at their desks) will further reduce electricity consumption.

In order to achieve high environmental standards in the design and construction of our new headquarters, PUMA worked closely with the renowned Institut für Energie und Gebäude (ieg) in Nuremburg, which honored the newheadquarters with an energy saving certificate (Energiepass).

We are confident that our investment in creating a more sustainable work environment is not only good for the environment, but for our employees and our business as well. PUMA is deeply committed to investing in sustainable development and will expand our sustainability initiatives at the international, retail, and product levels.

As part of our ongoing commitment to eliminate harmful substances from within the PUMA product range, PUMA works with designers, suppliers, and manufacturers to ensure compliance with our Restricted Substance List (RSL) and detailed testing procedures which are described in our Handbook for Environmental Standards.

The independent environmental organization Greenpeace has confirmed that PUMA’s commitment has set industry standards. In 2005, Greenpeace reviewed like-minded companies and rated them from red to green based on the “eco-friendliness” of their products. After examination of PUMA’s product range, our company obtained the best category “green” in 2007. Since then, our commitment has expanded further.

We developed the RSL list in accordance with international standards, such as Oeko-Tex 100, as well as recommendations from leading laboratories around the world. To ensure that the list is frequently updated, our puma.safe team works closely with national and international experts in the field of consumer goods (including the “Consumer Goods” round table of the German Chemical Society and the steering committee Apparel and Footwear International RSL Management Group, or AFIRM).

RSL Matrix -Click on it to expand

Our commitment to sustainability is also reflected in the fact that PUMA requires that suppliers sign our Declaration of Principles, assuring that they, too, are committed to following PUMA’s environmental standards and policies. Such policies, continuously reviewed by our puma.safe team and communicated to our manufacturers, are clear and strict and insist that materials used in production are tested in accredited and certified laboratories. This policy ensures as well that the final products will be tested randomly.

PUMA continues to evolve our product development at the design stage, educating key team members about environmentally friendly solutions such as PVC-free, solvent-free, and recyclable and sustainable materials.

PUMA was the first sporting goods company to ban PVC from its entire product range.

Despite PVC’s strong material characteristics, PUMA recognized that the negative aspects of the production and disposal of PVC, which can cause damage to both humans and the environment, was not compatible with our business, with our customers, nor with our relationship to the environment. Alternatively, through the puma.safe program, we focus our energies on finding alternative solutions that compromise neither our consumers nor our planet. We are proud to report that for many years now, all of our products carry a “PVC-free“ label.

In addition to banning PVC, PUMA works hard to ensure that suppliers and manufactures strictly adhere to our Restricted Substances List (RSL) as part of our policy to eliminate harmful substances from our products. In cooperation with industry peers and other stakeholders, we continuously update our RSL to reflect the most up-to-date standards and scientific findings.

For more information, please take a look at our Handbook on Environmental Standards.

PUMA is striving to integrate the more environmentally sustainable and eco-efficient practices into every aspect of its product cycle, in order to harmonise business with the availability and safekeeping of our natural resources. The concept of eco-efficiency was introduced by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development in 1991 and its aim was to reduce negative ecological effects and the heavy reliance on resources over the whole product life-cycle—not only throughout the production process but also with regards to use, value and later disposal of products.

The environmental group Greenpeace acknowledges that the commitment shown by the sportlifestyle company PUMA sets standards. Greenpeace tested various companies on the eco-friendliness of their products and ranked them from red to green. After examining the product range in 2006, Greenpeace gave PUMA a ‘green’ rating—the best rating possible.

PUMA has for many years striven to ensure high environmental and social standards both within the company itself and in the manufacturing of PUMA products and we continue to evolve our practices and learn from our mistakes.