Puma has enlisted ‘youth voices’ and influencers to explore questions surrounding real leather versus its alternatives  - and uses our Nothing to Hide website to inform the debate.

“Ihad no idea leather was made from cow hides,” says England footballer Maya Le Tissier as part of a Puma podcast on sustainability in fashion.  “I don’t know what I thought it was made of, but definitely not a cow.”

She joins fellow footballer Moses Duckrell and blogger Oliver Bromfield on a series called Green Flags, which Puma launched in a bid to offer more transparency around its materials and manufacturing in a way that is accessible to younger consumers. One of the episodes, Lessons in Leather, uses a quiz format to explore the topic, highlighting that up to 45% of hides are ending up in landfill. When asked, “Are all ‘vegan leather’ materials made from natural materials?” the panellists were shocked to find out most are plastic-based. “I thought vegan meant it would be completely pure,” says Duckrell. Their comments support Leather UK findings that 10% of people don’t know what leather is made of and half have no idea what ‘vegan leather’ is.

“Throughout this episode we quote reliable data sources,” adds Mr Duckrell – with the Nothing to Hide website, operated by Footwearbiz publisher World Trades Publishing, listed as one of the sources. More than 640,000 people had viewed the video on YouTube alone at the time of going to press.

Youth driven

In 2023, Puma launched Voices of a Re:Generation, an initiative that aims to include Generation Z’s perspectives and recommendations on sustainability, and a continuation of its Conference of the People event in London. Its own research found 71% of young people felt their voices weren’t being heard when it comes to the environment and would like to see brands making more commitments (49%), communicating their goals better (40%) and being more transparent (34%). “We’ve always documented our progress in sustainable practices,” commented Puma’s chief sourcing officer, Anne-Laure Descours, at the time. “However, our participation in Conference of the People shed light on the fact that the information we share isn’t always easily understood by the next generation.”

The Green Flags podcasts are an extension of a series called #Knowyourstuff, which features the Voices of a Re:Generation. One of these ‘voices’ is Aishwarya Sharma, an Indian ‘fashion activist’, who explores the debate around leather versus non-leather in a seven-part short video series, available on YouTube and on Puma’s channels. The German brand has a long history with leather, with its first shoes in 1948 made from leather and many millions having been produced since, but the material only accounts for around 4% of its footwear materials today. 

Although the video starts with offering a platform to animal rights activists PETA’s false claims that more than 1 billion animals are slaughtered for their skins each year, Puma’s senior director of sustainability, Veronique Rochet, counters this by explaining that leather is a by-product of the beef industry and that if the skins weren’t used, they would be sent to landfill. Peta’s claim that leather has six times the environmental impact of polyurethane is also left unchallenged, as is its suggestion that mushroom and olive-based materials are scalable and viable alternatives. 

Tannery tour

This myth is denounced in the next episode when Ms Sharma visits Puma’s headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany. Romain Girard, vice-president of innovation, says while the company is assessing new materials such as mycelium, and hybrid materials containing olives, pineapples and vine leaves, as well as a 100% TPU shoe, they do not meet the quality requirements and they cost at least twice as much as its current options. “Consumers are not willing to pay double for these materials,” he admits, adding that they are continuing research with suppliers. “But it’s not just about vegan versus non-vegan, it’s about footprint. The natural alternative (mushroom) has a high energy consumption whereas the 100% plastic is very easy to recycle. So, which is better?”

Aishwarya heads to Thailand to the CPL tannery, to find out more about the tanning process. Although little detail is given, she explains how its Zeology leather is made with fewer chemicals and less energy, and helps to make the limited-edition Puma Re:Suede compostable, in certain conditions. Zeology is a tanning method created by Smit & Zoon’s Nera, based on the mineral zeolite and is chrome-free, heavy metal-free and aldehyde-free. She also visits CPL’s water treatment plant, showing how bacteria are used to clean the water before it is discharged back to the environment.
 “Sustainability can be complex and the leather topic is embedded with sensitive themes, so I’ve taken care in making sure this is approached in an open and transparent way that inspires people to become informed about the materials they choose to wear,” she concludes. Perhaps a look at how the synthetic materials are made and their end-of-life options would have rounded the debate out further.

Carbon reductions

Last November, Puma published updated sustainability targets, which were approved by the Science Based Targets initiative as aligned with a 1.5-degree scenario. By 2030, the German brand seeks to cut its Scope 1 and 2 [manufacturing] greenhouse gas emissions by 90% from a 2017 baseline year and has committed to reduce Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions from its supply chain and logistics by 33% compared to 2017. It will insist on increased renewable energy use at its core suppliers and increase the use of less carbon-intensive materials – perhaps a move away from virgin synthetic materials will be necessary to reach this goal. Last autumn, the Higg Materials Sustainability Index lowered its average values for bovine leather by between 55% and 67% (see separate article) as a result of a new body of work. Where bovine leather previously had a global warming potential score of 36.8 points, this has been amended to 14.6 points,  a reduction of more than 60%.

Circularity remains high on the agenda for 2030, including targets to enter more circular business models and to introduce resell and repair in selected markets. New material targets for 2030 include using 100% recycled polyester fabric. In apparel, 30% of the polyester fabric will be fibre-to-fibre recycled, while 20% of cotton fabric will also be from recycled sources. The brand plans to invest in next-generation material research options with a focus on footwear and will continue scaling up textile-to-textile recycling.

“By openly discussing the complexities of the materials used in our products, like leather and its alternatives, we hope to foster a more informed and balanced conversation about sustainable clothing and footwear choices, which is essential for driving positive change,” concludes Ms Descours. “The #KnowYourStuff series is a testament to our commitment of transparency and our promise made during our Conference of the People event to include the next generation as part of these important discussions.”

Avanti LS is the latest Puma football boot designed by singer/  actress Rihanna. Despite an increasing number of styles containing leather, the material only accounts for 4% of the brand’s footwear materials.
All credits: PUMA

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