Is Puma Fast Fashion? An Expert Breakdown!

December 18, 2023

Being a more sustainable business is a continuous process for PUMA, involving every aspect of the company.

Founded by Rudolf Dassler in 1948, PUMA is aware that it needs to have a large-scale influence rather than concentrating on a select few collections in order to become more sustainable.

In order to do this, PUMA has established targets for ten key areas, including plastics, circularity, and climate change, which it hopes to meet by 2025.

With a long history of causing environmental problems, like harmful dyes contaminating water and synthetic materials adding to the waste of microfibers, sports brands bear a great deal of responsibility.

PUMA is pleased with the strides it has achieved in recent decades in terms of sustainability. It is constantly improving and updating its sustainable approaches and may not be considered a fast fashion brand.

Sustainability Rating: 4/10

Category: Clothing, shoes, accessories

For: Men, women, kids

Products: Hoodies, sweatshirts, jackets, T-shirts, tops, pants, leggings, loungewear, skirts, dresses, skirts, tracksuits, bras, shorts, Polos, team jerseys, running sneakers, soccer sneakers, basketball sneakers, slides, sandals, bags, hats, socks

Style: Trendy, classic

Quality: Medium to high

Prices: $

Sizes: 2XS-3XL, 6-20 (UK), 36-50 (EU)

Fabrics: Cotton, linen, modal, viscose, acetate, polyester, nylon, spandex, polyethylene, acrylic, neoprene, polyurethane, rubber, leather, wool, silk

100% Organic: No

100% Vegan: No

Ethical & Fair: Yes

Recycling: Yes

Manufacturing countries: China, Argentina, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Brazil, India

Certifications: GOTS, OCS, LWG, FSC, GRS, RWS, BCI

Interpretation Of The Sustainability Score

Brands that receive 4 out of 10 indicate that they are aware of the negative impacts of the fashion industry and are starting to implement sustainable practices.

They are constantly striving and improving to become more sustainable.

What Are The Sustainability Practices Of The Brand?

They believe that all parts of the production processes for their products incorporate sustainability, both socially and environmentally, starting from the raw material procurement stage and ending at the manufacturing level.

When they source the primary components for their products, such as cotton, leather, and polyester, they make sure they are sourced sustainably.

By 2021, almost all of their leather footwear and almost all of their polyester clothing came from sustainable sources. Up until 2025, all of their cardboard and paper will come from more environmentally friendly sources.

To break it down, they have been sourcing the following products sustainably:

Polyester:

They hold the Oeko-Tex certification for the polyester used in their goods. This makes sure they remove hazardous materials from products from the very beginning of the manufacturing process.

By 2025, they intend to source 100% more sustainably produced polyester. As of right now, they are at 80%.

Cotton:

They have collaborated with BCI, Better Cotton Initiative, for sustainable cotton cultivation. By 2025, they aim to get 100% of their cotton from sustainable cotton sources.

Leather:

They hold the LWG (Leather Working Group) certificate to enhance the leather manufacturing sector by coordinating environmental priorities, highlighting best practices, and offering recommendations for ongoing development.

Packaging:

They use almost 95% of recycled packaging in their shoe boxes. By 2025, they aim to use 100% recycled content in their packaging.

They hold the FSC certificate which helps them establish guidelines for socially and environmentally responsible forest management.

Responsible Down Feathers:

They have been using sustainably sourced down feathers since 2020. They hold the RDS certificate that guarantees that the down used in products does not originate from live-plucked or force-fed birds.

What Are The Ethical Practices Of The Brand?

They aim to improve their ethical approaches in the future and become much better for both the environment and people.

Their ethical approaches include:

What Are The Animal Welfare Policies Of The Brand?

PUMA claims to take animal welfare very seriously. They strictly prohibit the use of animal products derived from animals subjected to cruel treatment.

Their goal is to establish strict traceability and welfare requirements. Animal protection organizations are often consulted by PUMA to assess their policies and practices.

They hold LWG and RDS certificates for leather and down feathers that make sure they are ethically sourced.

Moreover, they have joined the free fur retailer program to switch to more animal-friendly and cruelty-free approaches.

They believe that it is cruel, out-of-date, and useless to keep wild creatures in tiny cages just to make a fashion accessory, and their action demonstrates how modern brands respect innovation and transparency and have no interest in participating in the cruel fur trade.