One milestone achieved, says the company’s Senior Director of Sustainability to SGI Europe.
In late 2024, Puma outlined its new sustainability targets, Vision2030. In this, Puma has stated that by 2030, the company aims for a 90 percent absolute reduction of greenhouse gases in its own operations and a 33 percent absolute reduction in supply chain emissions by 2030 compared to 2017.
Now the company has reached a new step in its circularity and sustainability project, as 9 out of 10 of all Puma products produced globally have recycled and certified materials in them.
SGI Europe got hold of Puma’s Senior Director of Sustainability, Veronique Rochet, for a chat about Re:Fibre.
Miss Rochet, what has Puma done to make this progress?
We see our sustainability journey as a long-term commitment. We believe in integrating sustainability into every aspect of our manufacturing processes for all products – from the sourcing of raw materials to the manufacturing stage, both environmentally and socially.
At Puma, we produce millions of shoes and textiles every year, so sustainability has to play a major role for the majority of our products if we want to make a difference. That’s why achieving our goal of making 9 out of 10 products with recycled and certified materials is a major milestone that has been achieved by making consistent improvements over the past years.
How are the practical work done with collecting used garments to be able to use that as new clothing?
For the Re:Fibre project, we have collection points in several of our European stores and in the fan stores of our major football clubs including Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund. These takeback schemes are still at a small scale and are in the process of being scaled up. Currently, the majority of the raw materials for Re:Fibre comes from factory and industry waste including offcuts and other sources.
How will Puma proceed now and has your goal for circularity changed? I mean, can you achieve the sustainability goals even quicker than 2030 and 2050? And if yes, how can you do that?
By 2030, Puma aims for a 90 percent absolute reduction of greenhouse gases in its own operations and a 33 percent absolute reduction in supply chain emissions by 2030 compared to 2017. Once we have achieved that goal, we will set new targets but we first have to get there. Puma, as a signatory of the Fashion Industry Charter on Climate Action, aims for net-zero GHG emissions by 2050. We believe this can be achieved by collaborating with partners, suppliers, and organizations like the UN Global Compact, the UN Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action, the Fashion Pact, and Stiftung Klimawirtschaft.
