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.” Read more

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.