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Contact – Sales
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vertrieb@ism-europa.de
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Contact – Human Resources
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Conserve resources
We certainly do not need to explain how valuable natural resources are.
For us, the economical and efficient use of resources is an integral part of our corporate responsibility.
A clear commitment and a good strategy firmly anchor the responsible use of this limited resources in our processes and products.
Produce more sustainably
We manufacture our products in partner factories in Europe and Asia. In this way, we provide long-term employment for several thousand people. We often have a long-standing and trusting relationship with our production partners. We select them carefully from the outset and set high expectations in terms of social and environmental standards. We work together on challenges that they cannot overcome alone and help them to meet our standards – also and especially with regard to a responsible approach to the environment.
Develop quality products
Our workwear and safety footwear often have to meet special and quite complex requirements. They have an important protection function for the wearer and must fulfil legal requirements and standards. Constant use places demanding conditions on materials and workmanship. In principle, the protective function is clearly the main focus, followed by high demands on design, innovation and durability. In addition to high safety standards, environmental aspects play a central role in our product development. Because our products and the materials used make up a significant part of our ecological footprint – we can make sustainable improvements here.
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY (PROCUREMENT)ROUTES
The potential of environmentally friendly routes is considerable, but rarely utilised. There are many small and large possibilities to prevent CO2 emissions from occurring in the first place, as well as to reduce them or offset them. We are also rethinking and doing our part to protect the environment.
OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
Questions & Answers
Sustainability subjects such as environmental protection and human rights are incredibly extensive, multi-faceted and very complex. Therefore, we have answered questions that we are frequently asked as compactly as possible.
Integrated chemical management shows hazardous chemicals the red card and follows a holistic approach to protect consumers, workers and the environment against potential hazards. The linchpin is safe raw materials: If hazardous chemicals do not enter factories in the first place, their control during production is eliminated and they do not end up in products. The beneficiaries are suppliers, because for them there is no need for cost-intensive after-care cleaning solutions for water and air before release.
You can find out more about what chemical management for our PUMA SAFETY footwear looks like in detail here.
We have many ideas and are on the lookout for new materials and innovations across the globe. Nowadays, we can offer things that would not have been possible two years ago. Leather is a very sustainable product, after all we make beautiful and long-lasting products from meat production “waste”.
Vegan footwear – this sounds great at first, but it also means that plastics are used that have a questionable eco-balance. Most footwear advertised as vegan is made of plastic. Whether that is better is debatable. Vegan does not mean eco-friendly.
We are working on this challenge. Shoes are very complex products. We hope that our 2025 goal will lead us there. But another aspect is also very important from our point of view when we talk about circularity, namely longevity. One of the best ways to make a product more sustainable is producing a long-lasting product. That is our aspiration at all times.
Safety footwear is a complex product. 200 or even 250 steps are required to make a shoe. The availability of recycled components is a big challenge due to the complexity of the manufacturing. Here, the entire supply industry is still strongly challenged by the need to be able to ensure wide access to sustainable components at marketable prices.
Unfortunately, this is all combined with a lot of research, time and, in particular, raw materials, which comes with a higher price that not everyone is prepared to pay at the moment. We also need better recycling technology. There are more and more initiatives, but most technologies are still in the pilot phase.
What is really exciting is that the industry is facing this challenge together and there is a real exchange between the different stakeholders of the whole value chain, i.e. between brands, suppliers and recycling companies.
Unfortunately, we are currently not yet able to do this. We are currently establishing our CO2 balance according to the internationally applicable Green House Gas (GHG) Protocol Standard in order to identify significant emission drivers, eliminate them if possible or replace them with carbon-free alternatives. We consciously include the subject of climate protection in our strategic focus and actively set the stage for climate positivity and neutrality on site, in the manufacturing countries and along our value chain. We will report transparently on our progress.
We are working on this challenge together with our suppliers, industry partners and our licensor. Unfortunately, many recycling technologies are still in the pilot phase and not yet so developed. However, there is currently a lot of movement in the industry towards circular business models, which we are working on. Moreover, we hope that our EcoDesign project and our 2025 goals will lead us there.
We have developed a sophisticated system, which ensures that our products fulfil all requirements of the EU ReaCh regulation. Every year, we invest a high six-figure sum in testing the chemical specifications of the ReaCh regulations and the Restricted Substances List (RSL). The testing takes place in independent laboratories. As many of our products are certified as Personal Protective Equipment (Persönliche Schutzausrüstung – PSA), they are double tested because, for example, safety footwear is also tested for chemicals during the test according to DIN standard EN 20345. Thus, we can prove through test reports from independent laboratories that our products are ReaCh- and RSL-compliant.
In the meantime, various seals and labels can be found, especially for textiles and footwear, which advertise fairness, environmental protection or lack of harmful substances. Given the abundance of seals and campaigns, each with their own symbols, abbreviations and emblems, it is now difficult even for insiders to keep track of them all. You can find information and links to some of the key initiatives that are considered credible by organisations such as Greenpeace on our sustainability page. Because “sharing is caring”. We have looked intensively at various seals and, after intensive internal consideration within the team, have come to the conclusion that we are indirectly involved in various global initiatives in the current situation where we are involved in PUMA’s strategic sustainability management approaches as a licensing partner. A seal of our own, together with the certification that goes with it, would require us to provide all the evidence again for requirements that we already provide anyway. Therefore, we have decided against the double administrative effort without added value for all stakeholders involved.
Do you still have questions or are some topics still unclear? Our Sustainability Team looks forward to hearing from you.