In 2019, we completed our 10FOR20 sustainability strategy and reached our targets one year ahead of schedule. At the same time, we finalized the new 10FOR25 sustainability targets in collaboration with our major stakeholders.

Throughout the sustainability section of this Annual Report, we will list our most material sustainability topics and the approach we took to manage these. We will also discuss the key performance indicators we set, and the results achieved for each individual target area.

Overall, we made good progress and achieved the majority of key performance indicators (KPIs) we had set in nine out of ten target areas. The performance in one target area (Water & Air) remained below expectations. Since we still firmly believe that we need close control over the emissions to air and water of our suppliers, we will carry the targets for this area forward into our new targets for 2025.

The concept of sustainability in itself is a long-term journey and much remains to be done, both within our industry and our company, to achieve a truly sustainable business model and conduct. In our support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and tackling the climate crisis, we are happy to report that we have hit all four of our bonus-relevant sustainability targets related to Climate Action, Human Rights, and Health & Safety as well as Anti-Corruption.

Special highlights of the year 2019 were

  • the agreement and publication of a science based carbon emission target paired with
  • a significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by purchasing renewable energy and renewable energy attribute certificates;
  • the re-accreditation of our social compliance program by the Fair Labor Association;
  • achieving zero fatal accidents at PUMA and its finished goods suppliers for the second year in a row;
  • surveying more than 20,000 workers at suppliers for working conditions via a mobile app;
  • an increase in the pass rate of our material tests for chemicals to 98.9% and wastewater tests at suppliers with wet-processing for chemical parameters to 94% and above;
  • an increase in community hours donated by PUMA staff globally;
  • the elimination of recruitment fees for migrant workers within our Tier 1 supplier base;
  • the launch of our Forever Better product sustainability platform;
  • increasing the usage of more sustainable cotton from Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) to over 80%; and
  • increasing the usage of certified polyester (bluesign® & OEKO-TEX) to over 90%.