FOREVER. BETTER: WHO GIVES A SHIRT

Maya Le Tissier, Man United captain and Lioness, Oli Bromfield, fashion and lifestyle Guru, and Moses Duckrell, pro-footballer turned content creator, are on a mission to become more climate-conscious – because caring for the planet is the ultimate green flag… right? Welcome to Green Flags, a FOREVER. BETTER podcast by PUMA. Each week, they’ll take on unexpected challenges to show you how small changes in your everyday life can add up to a big difference for the planet. Think generating your own electricity for a day or turning trash into wearable treasure – every challenge is rooted in five key areas of sustainability inspired by PUMA’s Vision 2030 Sustainability targets. And while they’re racing to outdo each other, you’ll pick up tips and ideas to bring into your own life. So, get ready for some friendly competition as our hosts try to score the most points and win the Green Flags trophy. Because there’s only one Forever… let’s make it Better.Green Flags is a FOREVER.BETTER podcast, brought to you by PUMA. Produced by Mags Creative and MSL.

Malaysian-based eco-conscious Earth Day Ambassador Melissa Tan discusses how fashion’s thirst for water is impacting our changing climate with Kurt Kipka from the Apparel Impact Institute. Learn about the ins and outs of how much water goes into making our clothes and shoes and how the industry is taking steps to ensure less draughts and water scarcity. —------PUMA has ten target areas, each with a set of goals, that we are striving to reach by 2025. This episode focuses on the target area of Water and Air. Water is really a vital ingredient used all the way through the production of what we wear. As well as being used to wash raw cotton, it’s soaked in dye using a lot of water and then washed clean. It’s also soaked in water-based chemical solutions. Water is also used in factory cooling systems, humidification systems that reduce static during weaving, the steam presses used to finish a garment and more. What it actually means: Since 2015 we have increased the number of wastewater tests from 33 to 147 factories to ensure that hazardous chemicals are not being poured into and contaminating natural bodies of water, like lakes and oceans. This means that factories have efficient wastewater treatment plants in place.Goal 1: 90% compliance with ZDHC Wastewater Guidelines94% of all factories with wet-processing facilities* (156 factories have wet processes) have been covered by tests, and tests show that all these factories have at least 90% compliance with the ZDHC Wastewater Guidelines (foundational level).*Wet processing is the stage where raw materials (like cotton) are treated with colourants and/or chemicals. Goal 2: 15% water reduction per pair or piece based on 2020 baselineWe have worked with our suppliers to reduce the amount of water being used during the making of a garment or pair of sneakers by 15%. PUMA publishes all of its progress, challenges and setbacks in its Sustainability Report. You can find the 2022 report online now by going to about.puma.com

Singapore-based founder of sustainable bag company (Peco) Yumika Hoskin is joined by PUMA’s Head of Labelling and Packaging, Jordan Eichenberger to discuss the use of plastic in the fashion industry. Discover the answers to why brands are still using plastic packaging, whether or not it’s ever ok to use it and if there are alternatives that actually work.In the episode, Jordan quotes an article from the Washington Post. You can find that article here – https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2007/10/03/GR2007100301385.html?referrer=emaillink—------Plastic pollution of our oceans is one of the most urgent challenges to sustainability of our time. As a company that uses polymers in alot of its products, we have a special responsibility to work on this issue.What it actually means: Plastic shopping bags and single-use plastics aggravate the problem of plastic pollution significantly. By eliminating them from our stores and office environment, we can set a positive example for our consumers and colleagues and at the same time reduce our use of plastics by several hundred tons per year.Goal 1: Eliminate plastic bags from owned and operated PUMA storesIn recent years we switched our shopping bags to FSC-certified paper bags or polyethylene bags with 80% recycled content. During 2020 our Retail division devised a detailed plan to completely phase out plastic bags from our owned and operated PUMA stores globally.Goal 2: Support scientific research on microfibersWe’ve joined The Microfibre Consortium (TMC) as a member to understand and address the environmental concerns for fibre fragments (microfibre) which are generated from natural and synthetic clothing during manufacture, as well as the consumer use phase in the industry.Goal 3: Research biodegradable plastics options for productsWe piloted a fully biodegradable version of our most iconic sneaker, the PUMA SUEDE. This pilot includes the use of a fully biodegradable outsole made from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The composting results will be made public so that anyone interested in biodegradability can use our lessons learnt.PUMA publishes all of its progress, challenges and setbacks in its Sustainability Report. You can find the 2022 report online now by going to about.puma.com

Hong-Kong based Fashion Designer Bertha Shum is joined by Sectors Engagement Decarbonation Lead, Lindita Xhaferi-Salihu from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Expect to hear discussions on whether radical collaboration is the answer to tackling climate change and how brands can be doing more to address the issue.—------PUMA has ten target areas, each with a set of goals, that we are striving to reach by 2025. This episode focuses on the target area of Climate Action.Climate action refers to any actions taken to combat the effects of climate change and its impacts on people and the planet.What it actually means: PUMA works with others in the fashion industry on climate action through the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action and the Fashion Pact to reduce the harmful emissions into the environment from the production of their goods.Goal 1: Align PUMA’s climate target with 1.5 degrees global warming scenario.The 1.5 global warming scenario, predicts that if the earth’s temperature warms to above 1.5º it will no longer be able to soak up carbon dioxide, resulting in more climate change. PUMA has applied to Science Based Targets initiative to approve new absolute Greenhouse Gas Emission emission reduction: Scope 1 and 2 by 90%, Scope 3 by 33% in 2030.You may hear different ‘scopes’ referred to when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions. In the case of PUMA this meansScope 1 emissions: These are direct greenhouse gas emissions from sources that are owned or controlled by PUMA, such as emissions from burning fuel in PUMA's owned or leased facilities, such as warehouses, or offices.Scope 2 emissions: These are indirect greenhouse gas emissions from the consumption of purchased electricity, heat, or steam by PUMA to power its retail stores, offices and warehouses.Scope 3 emissions: These are all other indirect greenhouse gas emissions that occur in the supply chain of PUMA, but are not owned or controlled by them. Examples include emissions from the production of raw materials or assembly in factories, transportation of raw materials and finished products, disposal of products at the end of their life, and the use of products by consumers (like washing and drying clothes).Goal 2 : 100% renewable electricity for PUMA entitiesThis means that all of PUMA’s head offices, warehouses and retail stores are using renewable electricity, with no reliance on energy from fossil fuels. And this was achieved in 2020.Goal 3: 25% renewable energy for core suppliersOur main suppliers, like factories for example, will ensure that at least 25% of the energy they use at their premises would be from a renewable energy source, like electricity. They have worked with suppliers on several programs ranging from energy efficiency to installing on-site solar photovoltaic power plants to generate renewable energy. So far PUMA has achieved 11% for Tier 1 suppliers, 10.8% for Tier 2 suppliers. This includes Renewable Energy CertificatesTier 2 are factories which manufacture components that go into PUMA products, and Tier 1 are the factories which put the components together to make the final product. A tier 1 may need to use a factory for a specific process that they don’t have in their own factory, like embroidery for example; this is called subcontracting.PUMA publishes all of its progress, challenges and setbacks in its Sustainability Report. You can find the 2022 report online now by going to about.puma.com

US-based fashion designer and upcycler Andrew Burgess chats with PUMA’s Senior Manager, Corporate Strategy, Simon Hessel, about upcycling materials and defining 'circularity', the role of brands vs shoppers in ensuring more sustainable fashion and how PUMA’s RE:FIBRE project is a step towards a better future.—------PUMA has ten target areas, each with a set of goals, that we are striving to reach by 2025. This episode focuses on the target area of Circularity. Circular fashion is about extending a product’s lifespan through reuse, reselling, upcycling, repairing or, at the end of a products useful life, recycling.What it actually means: For PUMA, circularity means projects like RE:FIBRE, that create a loop by turning old clothes into new ones so we don't need to use new material to make new garments. Or RE:SUEDE, PUMA’s experiment in creating a biodegradable shoe.Goal 1: Establish ‘takeback’ schemes in all major marketsThe PUMA takeback scheme is where we encourage consumers to give us back their old clothes when they’re done with them. At the moment, PUMA’s focus is on polyester garments, encouraging people to drop off their PUMA cast-offs to be recycled via our RE:FIBRE program. This has successfully rolled out with partner football clubs including Manchester City, AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Olympique de Marseille.Goal 2: Reduce production waste to landfills by at least 50% compared to 2020Production waste is mainly the material that is not needed when cutting the pattern to make garments or shoes - ie. the offcuts. In 2022, we had 48% less waste to landfill per pair of shoes compared to 2020. However, we saw a 1% increase per apparel piece from 2020. This increase was mainly due to the on-boarding of new strategic factories in 2022 that have not yet worked on this target.Goal 3: Develop recycled material options for leather, rubber, cotton and polyurethaneWe increased the use of recycled cotton and rubber. We launched PUMA RE:COLLECTION made of recycled cotton and polyester and RE:GEN collection made of regenerated leather and recycled cotton. We’re continuing to increase the number of products using these recycled materials across our range.PUMA publishes all of its progress, challenges and setbacks in its Sustainability Report. You can find the 2022 report online now by going to about.puma.com

US-based community organiser Anya Dillard meets PUMA’s Teamhead Social Sustainability, Viola Wan to learn more about the challenges garment factory workers face. They also discuss the responsibilities of brands towards women working in their partner factories and what they’re doing to ensure greater gender equity.—------PUMA has ten target areas, each with goals, that PUMA is striving to reach by 2025. This episode focuses on Human Rights. Human rights in the apparel and footwear industry and supply chain refer to the fundamental rights that all workers are entitled to, regardless of their occupation or nationality.What it actually means: PUMA and other brands must ensure we’re doing everything possible to monitor and improve factory working conditions for all colleagues. This includes being aware of the conditions in factory sites, which brands generally don’t own, and so aren’t as easy to control.The lowdown:Goal 1: Train 100,000 direct and indirect staff members on women’s empowermentHow we did in 2022: 168,037 factory workers and 2,077 PUMA employees have been trained so far.Goal 2: Map subcontractors and Tier 2 suppliers for human rights risksClothing brands like PUMA often rely on multiple suppliers. This complexity makes it challenging to monitor and address human rights at every level of their supply chain. They need to create a system that detects and resolves any potential violations quickly. While this work has been ongoing for the last 20 years at PUMA, we wanted to expand the scope from the product manufacturers to their subcontractors and all of their component suppliers.What we did in 2021 and 2022: Tier 2 and Tier 1 subcontractor mapping completed. In the 2022 Sustainability Report - through collaborative efforts with the sourcing team, we mapped more than 200 non-core Tier 2 suppliers. The next step is to monitor the working conditions of these 200+ factories (See page 61)(And in case you’re wondering: Tier 2 are factories which manufacture components that go into PUMA products, and Tier 1 are the factories which put the components together to make the final product. A tier 1 may need to use a factory for a specific process that they don’t have in their own factory, like embroidery for example, this is called subcontracting).Goal 3: 25,000 hours of global community engagement per yearHow we did in 2022: We achieved a total of 43,000 hours, 18,000 over target.PUMA publishes all of its progress, challenges and setbacks in its Sustainability Report. You can find the 2022 report online now by going to about.puma.com