PUMA Aims to Be Carbon Neutral

By Kim Tae-gyu

Staff Reporter

The public enemy No. 1 at PUMA, one of the world's foremost producers of athletic shoes and other sportswear, seems to be carbon footprints as inferred by the remarks of its chief executive officer.

In an hour-long press meeting held on the sidelines of the Business for the Environment Summit in Seoul, Thursday, PUMA Chairman Jochen Zeitz had the importance of reducing carbon footprints on his lips many times.

His solution? The German-based multinational giant will become a carbon neutral firm this year. In other words, PUMA will offset its carbon emissions through reducing that amount in other fields.

``We can reduce our carbon by 25 percent. Still, the remaining parts need to be dealt with. … We will eliminate as much carbon as we generate (via offsetting programs),'' Zeitz said.

PUMA plans to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 25 percent by 2015 under its long-term sustainability scheme, which is geared toward not only carbon but other resources such as water and energy.

The remaining carbon emissions, of which the proportion would decrease to 75 percent by 2015, will be compensated by the company's efforts to diminish as much of carbon footprints in Africa. The portfolio of the project is being verified by an internationally recognized auditing company.

``To be the first carbon neutral sport life-style company is the next logical step in our mission to become the most desirable and sustainable sport life-style company in the world,'' Zeitz said.

``We also took United Nations Environment Program's (UNEP) challenge to offset our football teams' international travels to South Africa very seriously. Our commitment to the environment partnered with our long-standing collaboration with African football made it a foregone conclusion to support their initiative, and we hope in doing so that we inspire other stakeholders in the World Cup 2010 to follow suit.''

The UNEP asked that all football federations participating in the forthcoming World Cup, which will be hosted by South Africa, make up for carbon footprints generated by their teams' international travels.

A total of 336 players and officials will make it to South Africa under the sponsorship of PUMA, and leave carbon footprints behind. PUMA looks to offset them in the similar way to its carbon neutral company initiative.

In addition, PUMA opened its new company headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany midway through last year, which is the first carbon neutrally operated company head office in the sneakers and sportswear business.

PUMA also eyes to support the offsetting of its employees' carbon footprints by subsidizing the emissions generated on the way to and from work by 50 percent, a similar structure to matching funds.

Meanwhile, Zietz promised that he will compensate for his personal carbon footprints, including direct and indirect emissions, from his own account without regard to whether or not they are related to his work at PUMA.