At PUMA, we believe that our position as the creative leader in Sportlifestyle gives us the opportunity and the responsibility to contribute to a better world for the generations to come. A better world in our vision—PUMAVision—would be safer, more peaceful, and more creative than the world we know today. The 4Keys is the tool we have developed to help us stay true to PUMAVision, and we use it by constantly asking ourselves if we are being Fair, Honest, Positive, and Creative in everything we do. We believe that by staying true to our values, inspiring the passion and talent of our people, working in sustainable, innovative ways, and doing our best to be Fair, Honest, Positive, and Creative, we will keep on making the products our customers love, and at the same time bring that vision of a better world a little closer every day.

Through the programs of puma.safe (focusing on environmental and social issues), puma.peace (supporting global peace) and puma.creative (supporting artists and creative organizations), we are providing real and practical expressions of this vision and building for ourselves and our stakeholders, among other things, a more sustainable future.

PUMA’s ‘Play for Life’ campaign with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) supports the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity, by raising funds and awareness about habitat and species conservation.

The ‘Play for Life’ campaign focuses on Africa, a continent that hosts exceptional biodiversity including two of the five most important wilderness areas on Earth – the Congo Basin, and Miombo-Mopane Woodlands and Savannas of Southern Africa. Nine of the planet’s 35 Biodiversity hotspots, the richest and most threatened reservoirs of plant and animal life on Earth, are also in Africa.

Proceeds from the sale of our PUMA Africa Unity Kit, Unity-Tees and Kehinde Wiley designed PUMA Lacelets will be donated to help fund conservation programs in Africa.

The public can a play a part in determining which biodiversity programs will benefit from the sale of these products by casting their vote for their favorite cause on Facebook from May 29th – July 11th. Together PUMA and UNEP have nominated six programs to be subject to voting. Proceeds will support the three projects with the most votes.

To vote, visit FACEBOOK.COM/PUMA

Support for Elephants in Ivory Coast and Liberia

Along the Cavally River that divides Southern Ivory Coast and  Liberia, remaining fragments exist of one of the most  important ecosystems within the Upper Guinea Forest region.  These lowland tropical forests provide habitat for more than a  quarter of Africa’s mammals, including 12 species of primates,  the dwindling West African chimpanzee population, the pygmy  hippopotamus, and the forest elephant—the national emblem  of the Ivory Coast football team. Unfortunately, these forests  are threatened by non-sustainable agricultural development  and timber exploitation. Elephants in this region depend on  the forests for migration corridors. Without these corridors the  populations would remain fragmented, preventing the genetic  exchange that is vital to the elephants’ long-term survival. This  project focuses on creating and preserving landscape corridors  to allow these animals to migrate freely. This will help ensure the elephants’ survival and the biodiversity of area, as well as the livelihood of the local communities that depend on the forests ecosystems.

Where the money goes:
Donations to this project will fund programs to create and protect migration pathways in these forests. Activities include the development of economic alternatives to unsustainable forms of land-use, field research missions, and regional meetings between authorities.

Photo Credit: Photo by Fiona Maisels courtesy of WCS

Promoting Community Participation in Gorilla Conservation

GRASP was created in 2002 in response to the crisis facing the endangered populations of Great Apes in Africa and South East Asia, and the forests which these animals and communities depend on for their existence. GRASP aims to save the Great Apes from extinction through high-level political commitment, public awareness, education and practical conservation activities. Uniting over 80 local, national and international conservation NGO’s, state governments, UN agencies, foundations and private sector interests, GRASP is an alliance that is uniquely suited to address these conservation issues.

With less than 300 remaining individuals, the Cross River Gorilla is known to occur in 11 distinct forest sites across Equatorial Africa. Unfortunately, only seven of those locales are protected by Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, and Forest Reserves. GRASP is working to improve the survival prospects of the gorillas by providing support to community-based conservation initiatives. Projects include the creation and support of Nigeria’s first community managed Wildlife Sanctuary in the Mbe Mountains and through the establishment of a gorilla guardian monitoring network in Mowambi and Mbulu-Mone forest areas.

Where the money goes:
Funds donated to this project will be used to support the hiring and training of ecoguards and Gorilla guardians, as well as help to develop alternative livelihoods for hunters in the Mbe Mountains.

Photo Credit: Photo by Nicky Lankester courtesy of Limbe Wildlife Centre

Rhino: Back from the Brink?

Both black and while rhinos are highly threatened in Africa with recent local extinctions in Cameroon and Democratic Republic of Congo. Since 1960 black rhinos have diminished in number from an estimated 100,000 to just 4,200. The current white rhino population is around 17,000. Rhinos are targeted for their horns; in 2008 and 2009 poaching hit the highest levels in decades.

In an effort to restore and protect the rhino population, black rhinos are being relocated from areas in Namibia to create new founder populations in adjacent areas with suitable habitat. Local communities “own” these new populations and benefit from the ecotourism revenue that these rhino herds generate. This makes the rhinos a valuable part of the local economy and encourages their protection, as they are worth more as a tourist attraction than what can be gained by killing them. Similarly, Botswana is providing a new home base for some of Zimbabwe’s black rhinos to bolster conservation and ecotourism.

Where the money goes:
Donations to this project help fund the establishment of new rhino populations, and specifically benefit the relocation process with specialized veterinarians, monitoring and security, and transportation equipment.

Photo Credit: Photo by Russel Friedman courtesy of Wilderness Safaris

The African Lion: King Without A Kingdom

Because the lion is so visible and celebrated it is not often recognized as endangered or threatened, however the reality is dramatically different. In 1940 there was an estimated 450,000 lions in Africa – today there are just 23,000. As apex predators, lions are key indicators of the health and biodiversity of the environments in which they reside, thus making their preservation critical.

Space is at the heart of the issue: Space for human agriculture and livestock versus space for natural predator-prey ecosystems. In Africa, lions outside protected areas are indiscriminately killed in retaliation for cattle raiding or threat of their existence. To make matters worse, protected areas and lion ranges have becoming increasingly fragmented, resulting in only a handful of areas large enough for self-sustaining lion populations.

Zambia is a country that could potentially support a significant portion of the endangered lions, but lacks an accurate estimate of the current lion population and national management strategy. In Zambia a project is underway to put those needed elements in place and analyze key areas of the Human-Lion conflict.

Where the money goes:
Funds donated to this project will help secure new space for the lions by surveying Zambia’s native lion population, studying the protected and unprotected areas ecology, and developing a national management plan that can be implemented in other countries and lion ranges.

Photo Credit: Photo by Russel Friedman courtesy of Wilderness Safaris

Wildebeest and Zebra Migration Routes: Africa’s Fractured Superhighways

Wildebeests and zebras in Africa need room to move. Migration pathways are essential for wide-ranging migratory species conservation. Human expansion into Africa’s wilderness areas has resulted in the fragmentation of habitat and severing of migration routes for the wildebeests and zebras. Critical areas for grazing or calving are cut off and have resulted in dramatic population declines. In the mid 1980s fences severed migration pathways for wildebeests in Botswana and their populations have plummeted to negligible levels. Today, throughout Africa these animals are at risk from human development interfering with their natural migratory patterns.

However, current studies utilizing satellite technology and GPS transmitters are tracking the zebra and wildebeest movements to ultimately aid in their protection. Space utilization in relation to manmade structures and natural resources for water and grazing are being investigated. The data collected from the studies is being used to advocate for the creation of migratory routes for these animals. Insight from these studies allow for better design of protected areas and the formal establishment of migratory corridors to ensure pathways between the protected areas.

Where the money goes:
Funds donated to this project will be used to gather valuable information on the migratory habits of the wildebeest and zebras through GPS transmitter tagging, tracking, and analysis.

Photo Credit: Photo by James Bradley and Harriet Bartlam courtesy of Wilderness Safaris

Forest and Biodiversity Conservation in DRC

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is comprised of some of the most intact forests in the greater Congo Basin – and the world. The Virunga National Park is home to several endangered species including the forest elephant, okapi, and majestic mountain gorilla. Trespassing into the DRC’s national parks to collect firewood and charcoal is destroying the forests and threatening the survival of these animals. A new program is proving that conservation efforts in this region can be beneficial to both humans and wildlife.

By locally manufacturing and distributing fuel-efficient stoves in North Kivue Province, firewood consumption is being reduced by up to 70% and decreasing the reliance on forest resources. These stoves benefit the environment by requiring less fuel and producing less smoke, thereby improving the livelihoods and health of local inhabitants. As part of this effort, regular workshops are held to raise awareness of fuel-efficient stoves and the need for forest conservation.

Where the money goes:
Funds donated to this project will help produce and distribute more fuel-efficient stoves and fund a pilot project on bio-briquette fuel.

Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of UNEP

At the Africa Experience Press Conference in Paris on May 28, 2010 PUMA® and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) activated an online voting campaign as part of their ‘Play for Life’ partnership to support the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity. PUMA will enable fans to vote via Facebook for one of six conservation projects to benefit from the ‘Play for Life’ fundraising efforts. Online voting is scheduled to run through July 11th. The three projects with the most votes will receive donations to support their work on the ground in Africa. This viral and social media effort is designed to raise awareness for the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity and make it easy for people to get involved.

“Africa will be the centre of the footballing world this summer, but is also home to some of the most precious and threatened wilderness areas on earth,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO, PUMA AG. “As all eyes turn to the continent this summer, it is a unique opportunity to generate support for biodiversity initiatives in Africa and around the world with our ‘Play for Life’ campaign. We are proud to partner with UNEP to raise both awareness and resources to help these causes.”

PUMA’s key fundraising lever for the ‘Play for Life’ campaign is the revolutionary new PUMA Africa Unity Kit – the world’s first ‘continental football kit’ which is endorsed by all 4 PUMA sponsored African national teams competing at the World Cup: Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana and Ivory Coast. Inspired by the African landscape, the Unity Kit bespoke colourway represents the sky, sun and actual soil samples taken from Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast and South Africa. By supporting the Africa Unity Kit, these players are uniting as a powerful force in world football drawing attention to this important environmental issue.

A portion of the profits from the sale of replica PUMA Unity Kits, Unity Tees, and PUMA Lacelets, some of which feature patterns from world-renowned artist Kehinde Wiley, will help fund biodiversity programs in Africa. Proceeds generated from the events at the African Unity Experience will also be donated to support these causes.

Consumers will play a part in determining which biodiversity programs benefit from the fundraising efforts by casting their vote on Facebook for their favorite cause. Together PUMA and UNEP have nominated six programs to be subject to public voting. Projects include:

- Support for Elephants in Ivory Coast and Liberia
- Promoting Community Participation in Gorilla Conservation
- Forest and Biodiversity Conservation in Democratic Republic of Congo
- Rhino: Back from the Brink?
- The African Lion: King Without A Kingdom
- Wildebeest and Zebra Migration Routes: Africa’s Fractured Superhighways

Satinder Bindra, UNEP’s Director of Communications, said: “2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity. Through this powerful partnership with PUMA, we are reaching out to millions of football fans around the globe to spread the message: we can all do our part to protect our planet’s animals, plants, insects and ecosystems. The biodiversity programs that the public will be voting for with ‘Play For Life’ represent the forefront of conservation efforts in Africa.”

After more than ten years of successful implementation of its social and environmental standards (puma.safe), PUMA launched the next pivotal phase of its ambitious long-term sustainability program on April 13th at the Design Museum in London. By introducing its cutting-edge sustainable packaging and distribution system by renowned industrial designer Yves Béhar, PUMA set new standards within the retail industry. The new innovative solution will significantly reduce the amount of waste and CO2 emissions that traditional product packaging such as shoe-boxes and apparel polyethylene bags generate and underpins PUMA’s target of reducing carbon, energy, water, and waste by 25%, and developing 50% of its international product collections in footwear, apparel and accessories according to best practice sustainability standards by 2015.

PUMA has been collecting E-KPIs (Environmental Key Performance Indicators) from all its offices and stores worldwide for the last five years and identified several key areas that need to be dealt with in order to further reduce PUMA’s “paw print”. To address these issues, at the press conference, PUMA launched the next phase of puma.safe initiatives and long-term sustainability program laying out ambitious targets to be achieved by 2015. The major objectives PUMA has set out to achieve in this period include:

• 25% reduction of CO2, energy, water and waste in PUMA offices, stores, warehouses and direct supplier factories.
• Paperless office policy through a 75% reduction and offsetting initiatives for the remaining paper usage such as tree planting initiatives.
• 25% CO2 reduction through more efficient product transport solutions by our logistic partners.
• Begin collaborating with our strategic suppliers and logistic service providers to offset their own footprints in the long-term.
• Introduction of the PUMA Sustainability-Index (S-Index) standard that serves as a benchmark for sustainable products and communicates the products’ sustainable features to consumers.
• 50% of PUMA’s international collections will be manufactured according to the PUMA S-Index standard by 2015, using sustainable materials such as organic cotton, Cotton Made in Africa or recycled polyester as well as applying best practice production processes.

To monitor these objectives PUMA is also establishing an external Advisory Board of experts in sustainability to consult on PUMA’s mission and audit PUMA’s sustainability program.

“For a long time our mission has been to become the most desirable Sportlifestyle company. With this next phase of our sustainability program we have evolved our mission to be the most desirable and sustainable Sportlifestyle company in the world,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO of PUMA. “Through PUMAVision and our puma.safe program we have already started to reduce our carbon emissions, curtail wasteful transportation, recycle and reuse available materials, use water sparingly and become paperless.”

PUMA’s ultimate objective is to give back to the environment what it has taken. PUMA’s longstanding work and efforts to improve social, labour and environmental standards throughout its operations date back to 1999. From that time, PUMA has continuously incorporated environmentally-friendly practices to reduce its impact on the planet and realized several successful large-scale initiatives such as sourcing of raw materials through the Cotton made in Africa campaign to building the capacity of its suppliers as well as the opening of the industry’s first carbon neutral head office — the PUMAVision Headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany — last year after joining the UN Climate Neutral Network

The introduction of PUMA’s innovative packaging and distribution system will reduce the paper used for shoeboxes by 65% and carbon emissions by 10,000 tons per year — the remaining packaging materials used will be fully sustainable by 2015. PUMA partnered with designer Yves Béhar, of San Francisco based fuseproject, to rethink the way the millions of pairs of shoes that it sells each year are packaged — less packaging means fewer raw materials, less use of water and energy to produce, and less weight to ship and to be disposed of. Béhar designed a “Clever Little Bag” to replace the cardboard shoebox with a re-usable shoe bag, that protects each pair of shoes from damage from the point it leaves the factory until the consumer takes it home — thus generating savings on the production side due to less material used, reducing weight during transport and eliminating the need for extra plastic carrier bags. As a result of the 65% paper reduction through the “Clever Little Bag” concept PUMA will reduce water, energy and diesel consumption on the manufacturing level by more than 60% per year. In other words: approximately 8,500 tons less paper will be consumed, 20 million Megajoules of electricity saved, 1 million litres less of fuel oil used and 1 million litres of water saved. During transport 500,000 litres of diesel is saved and lastly, due to the replacement of traditional shopping bags with the lighter built-in bag the difference in weight can save up to 275 tons of plastic.

“I was excited to partner with PUMA and contribute to such a game changing project,” said Yves Béhar. “PUMA’s initiative to look closely at one of the most challenging issues facing the retail industry in regards to sustainability and environmental harm was inspirational. In changing the packaging and distribution life cycle from the ground up, we hope our new design and comprehensive solution encourages other retail companies to follow suit.”

PUMA’s apparel collections will be bagged using sustainable material, replacing traditional polyethylene bags. This means that 720 tons of polyethylene bags can be avoided per year, which equals a saving of 29 million plastic bags — enough to cover an area the size of 1000 football pitches. Furthermore, PUMA T-shirts will be folded one more time to reduce the packaging size and thus saving CO2 emissions and costs during transport.

By switching out current plastic and paper shopping bags in PUMA stores and replacing them with sustainable biodegradable bags the sportlifestyle company is looking to save another 192 tons of plastic and 293 tons of paper annually.

The retail launch of the new packaging and distribution system is planned as of the second half of 2011.

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…

Puma Unveils World’s First Continental Football Kit to Support this Global Cause

NAIROBI, KENYA / HERZOGENAURACH, GERMANY (6 January 2010) – PUMA and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) were joined today by the Indomitable Lions –Cameroon’s national football team – with team captain Samuel Eto’o, to announce a strategic partnership to support biodiversity worldwide and specific initiatives in Africa.

The ‘Play for Life’ partnership will support the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity by raising awareness about habitat and species conservation among football fans and the general public during worldwide football events, including the Orange Cup of African Nations in Angola later this month and international friendly games leading up to the FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa. With 12 African football team sponsorships to its name and a history of innovation with Africa, PUMA is uniquely positioned to help drive this effort with UNEP.

The International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) is a global initiative launched by the United Nations for 2010 to help raise awareness on the importance of biodiversity and to encourage worldwide action to conserve plants and animals and the environments in which they live. The ‘Play for Life’ campaign focuses on Africa, a continent that hosts exceptional biodiversity including two of the five most important wilderness areas on Earth – the Congo Basin, and Miombo-Mopane Woodlands and Savannas of Southern Africa. Nine of the planet’s 35 Biodiversity hotspots, the richest and most threatened reservoirs of plant and animal life on Earth, are also in Africa. To read more about Biodiversity click here Read more

The Sportlifestyle company PUMA has issued its fifth sustainability report, giving an in-depth and transparent view of PUMAVision, the concept that unites PUMA’s corporate social responsibility activities and initiatives, guiding its work, partnerships and engagement worldwide.  

The 121-page document covers the reporting period 2007/2008 and has exclusively been published online for environmental reasons. It details PUMA’s progress to enhance working and social standards in its supply chain, build capacity at its suppliers’ factories, broaden its range of sustainable products and reduce the company’s environmental footprint through the PUMAVision category puma.safe. It furthermore outlines PUMA’s activities in supporting artists and creative organizations through the category puma.creative and its initiatives to support global peace through puma.peace. 

The full report is available online at: http://safe.puma.com/us/en/  

“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,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO of PUMA. “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. Now, more than ever, we are deepening our commitments and dedicating ourselves to a strategy that sees the ‘whole’ as a sum of its parts—our PUMAVision. As we work towards a safer, more peaceful, and more creative world, we will continue to expand our outreach as corporate global citizens beyond the boundaries of business, not only for the benefit of our stakeholders, but for all.” 

 Highlights of the visually appealing document include:  

• A portrait of the concept PUMAVision  
• A transparent description of PUMA’s response to the challenges it faces in its supply chain operations, capacity building projects and brand collaboration initiatives  
• The expansion of PUMA’s range of sustainable products through Fair Trade footballs and apparel from “Cotton Made in Africa”  
• A detailed account of PUMA’s numerous initiatives to protect the environment, including the progress on reaching targets of a 25% reduction of energy and water consumption as well as waste creation for offices by 2010 and decreasing its carbon footprint  
• An outline of PUMA’s worldwide activities in cooperation with the charity organization “Peace One Day” to raise awareness for global peace  
• An account of its sponsorship of the art exhibition 30 Americans to support the work of 31 African-American artists  
• A recap of PUMA’ numerous projects on the African continent

The report has been certified by TÜV Rheinland, which “is confident that PUMA AG operates a meaningful and adequate system to collect, measure, control and steer their sustainability activities and that the PUMA 2007/2008 Sustainability Report presents information and facts that give a realistic impression on the sustainability performance of the company.”  

The Global Reporting Initiative has reconfirmed an A+ rating for the document.  

PUMA’s endeavours to enhance its social and environmental standards are ongoing. The Sportlifestyle company endorses the campaign “Seal the Deal!” led by the United Nations. This campaign aims at strengthening political will and public support for reaching a comprehensive global climate agreement at the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December 2009 to help prevent global warming and further climate change. As a participant in the Carbon Disclosure Project, PUMA is actively working on reducing its direct and indirect climate gas emissions. 

PUMA is committed to working in ways that contribute to the world by supporting creativity, sustainability and peace, and by staying true to the values of being Fair, Honest, Positive and Creative in decisions made and actions taken. The foundation for our activities is PUMAVision—a concept that guides our work with its three core programs, puma.creative, puma.safe and puma.peace. 

PUMA’s Corporate Social Responsibility Program