In response to the Greenpeace Detox campaign, German sports brand Puma has unveiled an action plan for the elimination of polyfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) from its supply chain.
Alongside, Puma which also retails sportswear has set key milestones and new standards to achieve full supply chain transparency, which Greenpeace has welcomed warmly.
Puma will ensure 100 per cent of all its products are PFC-free, which are used in manufacturing of clothing and shoes to keep them dirt and water resistant, by no later than the end of 2017.
However, once released, PFC’s are known to be persistent, accumulate in the environment and can impact human health.
In line with the ‘Right-to-Know’ principle for local communities and the brand’s customers, Puma will publish discharge data from 80 per cent of its global suppliers by the end of 2014.
“The textile industry remains one of the biggest polluting sectors in China, where about half of the rural population has no access to drinking water that meets international standards,” Greenpeace said.
According to Greenpeace, Puma was the first brand that committed to detox its supply chain three years ago and took the competition with other sport brands like Adidas and Nike.
“The Puma commitment therefore exceeds Adidas’s announcement from June this year that 99 per cent of all its products would be PFC-free by 2017”, Greenpeace said.
“Nike on the other hand is lagging further, and is missing an action plan to clean up its production by 2020”, it added.
“The detailed action plan from Puma for phasing out dangerous chemicals and releasing discharge data is a huge step towards a toxic-free future," says Manfred Santen, Detox Campaigner at Greenpeace.
“Puma is once again a frontrunner in the sportswear sector and the ball is now in the court of other laggards such as Nike and LiNing to match Puma’s commitment to its customers,” Santen added. (AR)
