PUMA commits to deforestation-free bovine leather sourcing by 2030

PUMA committed to sourcing all bovine leather from verified deforestation-free supply chains by 2030, joining the Textile Exchange and Leather Working Group call to action. The move responds to the EU deforestation law and signals traceability pressures Indian leather and footwear suppliers may face.

PUMA announced a commitment to obtain all bovine leather from verified, deforestation-free supply chains, joining the Deforestation-Free Call to Action for Leather led by Textile Exchange and the Leather Working Group. The initiative aims to establish transparent, equitable, deforestation-free leather supply chains while safeguarding wildlife, biodiversity, carbon stocks and human rights. Participating brands are expected to source deforestation-free bovine leather by 2030 or earlier. The commitment follows a recent European Parliament law mandating that products sold in the EU not contribute to deforestation or forest degradation within supply chains.

The commitment affects PUMA's leather suppliers, tanneries, cattle ranchers, agents and intermediaries across its sourcing network. PUMA flagged suede, which accounts for half of the leather it uses, as a key challenge because most suede tanneries rely on agents and intermediaries, making cattle-ranch-level traceability difficult. Brands are encouraged to map supply chains, identify risk levels, invest in traceable leather, implement traceability systems, uphold human rights and report progress, drawing the full leather value chain into deforestation-free sourcing obligations.

Leather suppliers and tanneries should map their supply chains to cattle-ranch level, establish deforestation-free sourcing criteria, implement traceability systems and prepare progress reporting ahead of the 2030 target. Indian leather, footwear and tannery exporters serving brands selling into the EU should monitor the EU deforestation regulation and brand-level commitments, building traceability and documentation, particularly for hard-to-trace suede inputs, to remain eligible suppliers as deforestation-free verification becomes a condition of market access.

Key figure — Sourcing target: deforestation-free bovine leather by 2030