Puma to eliminate hazardous chemicals by 2020

Puma’s move comes less than two weeks after Greenpeace launched their ‘Dirty Laundry’ report, which identifies commercial links between major clothing brands, including Nike, Adidas and Puma, and suppliers responsible for releasing hazardous and hormone-disrupting chemicals into Chinese rivers. Greenpeace’s report is focused on the textile trade and not leather. However, the brands identified in the Greenpeace report are all major users of leather in their product ranges.
‘It’s not enough for Nike and Adidas to follow Puma’s lead – Greenpeace is calling on all three companies to show leadership by becoming more transparent about the hazardous chemicals currently released during the manufacture of their products’, said Martin Hojsik, Coordinator of the Toxic Water campaign at Greenpeace International.
Puma’s statement incorporates many elements determined by Greenpeace as crucial to bringing about systematic change within the textile industry: a precautionary approach to chemicals management, a clear timeline for reaching zero discharge, and the elimination of all discharges of hazardous chemicals throughout its supply chain and product lifecycle – including those coming from polluting production activities such as wet processing. Puma has also stated that it will publish an action plan within the next eight weeks, which will detail how it intends to deliver on its commitment.
The Greenpeace ‘Detox’ challenge continues to build momentum say the campaign group; thousands of people have added their names to an online petition that challenges the CEOs of Nike and Adidas to use their power and influence to tackle the urgent issue of toxic water pollution.