Athletic footwear, apparel, and accessories company PUMA made an announcement today regarding their commitment to obtaining all bovine leather from verified supply chains that are free from deforestation. This commitment aligns with the increasing global concern over the role of land-based value chains, particularly in the agriculture, forest, and land sectors, in contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation.
The European Parliament recently passed a law mandating companies to ensure that their products sold in the EU do not contribute to deforestation or forest degradation within their supply chains. In line with this, PUMA has joined the Deforestation-Free Call to Action for Leather, an initiative led by Textile Exchange and Leather Working Group. The goal of this initiative is to establish transparent, equitable, and deforestation-free supply chains for leather while also safeguarding wildlife, biodiversity, carbon stocks, and human rights.
To meet the requirements of the initiative, participating brands, including PUMA, are expected to source their bovine leather from deforestation-free supply chains by 2030 or earlier. They are also encouraged to work closely with farmers and farming supply chains to establish deforestation-free sourcing criteria, map their supply chains, identify risk levels, invest in traceable and deforestation-free leather, implement traceability systems, uphold human rights across the supply chain, and provide progress reports.
PUMA acknowledged that one of the main challenges they face in achieving deforestation-free sourcing is related to suede, which accounts for half of the leather used by the company. Suede presents difficulties in traceability at the cattle ranch level because most suede tanneries rely on agents and intermediaries to ensure a stable supply.