Puma Increases Use of Recycled Materials

Puma 's 148-page 2022 sustainability report illustrates how the athleticwear company is using more non-virgin inputs.

The German giant said it made seven out of 10 products from "better materials" last year as it scaled up the use of  recycled materials . However, this excludes products produced by Puma Group company  Stichd . The brand said it's on track to reach its goal of making nine out of 10 products with better materials by 2025.

More from WWD

• Puma and Nahmias Celebrate Motorsport-inspired Capsule Collection in Los Angeles

• Super Yaya Founder Rym Beydoun on Collaborating With Puma on the Speedcat

• Athletic Brands Jockey for Position in Wake of World Cup Fever

These better materials include  sustainably sourced cotton  and viscose, which have a lower carbon footprint. In 2022, Puma used 70.4 percent more sustainable polyester, including 48 percent recycled . It used 99.8 percent more sustainable cotton (mainly from the Better Cotton Initiative) and 100 percent leather from  Leather Working Group -rated tanneries. Since 2017, Puma has reduced its carbon emissions from materials by 32 percent.

"Our Forever Better strategy aims to make Puma better across the entire value chain, whether it comes to materials, carbon emissions, circularity or human rights," Anne-Laure Descours, chief sourcing officer at Puma, said. "We know there is still a lot of work to be done, but we are encouraged by the progress we made last year."

That progress included continuing to source 100 percent  renewable electricity  for its offices, stores and warehouses, with either renewable energy tariffs or attribute certificates, contributing to Puma's 86 percent  lower carbon emissions  than its 2017 baseline. Its suppliers also increased their usage of renewable energy in the supply chain—where most of Puma's carbon emissions originate—with its core suppliers (80 percent of Puma's production volume) doubling their renewable energy consumption in one year. By 2025,  the Rihanna collaborator  wants to double this figure, again, getting those core suppliers to source a quarter of their energy needs from renewable sources. 

In  circularity , Puma expanded upon its 2021 Puma Circular Lab initiative with its first project, Re:Suede, launching in 2022 with a first batch of 500 pairs. The chrome-free Zeology leather shoes were worn for six months by participants and sent back to Puma, with over 400 pairs sent to an industrial composting facility in the Netherlands. A life cycle assessment (LCA) found that the  Re:Suede  sneaker had a smaller carbon footprint (24.7 percent lower, excluding biogenic carbon) than conventional suede.