German firm Puma to host global event for sustainable fashion industry

Taking place in London and to be streamed worldwide, Conference of the People will feature Puma’s industry peers, activists, NGOs, experts, ambassadors and consumers, who will discuss tackling waste, using more sustainable materials, stopping climate change, protecting forests and finding ways for the industry to collaborate to achieve results sooner.

“We will focus on Gen Z during this event, as we want to give this generation a voice when it comes to the decisions that have to be made today to shape a more sustainable future,” said Bjørn Gulden, CEO of Puma. “At the United Nations they call it Conference of the Parties, we call it Conference of the People.”

Actress, model and activist Cara Delevingne will host the event alongside Puma CEO Bjørn Gulden and Puma CSO Anne-Laure Descours.

“Together with Puma, I have worked on sustainability topics for several years and together we have launched more sustainable collections such as Exhale,” said Delevingne. “It is important to continue the debate about this topic so we can find solutions to environmental issues such as climate change, waste management and biodiversity.”

Becoming more sustainable as a company has been an important pillar of Puma’s strategy for many years. Earlier this year, the company announced that it had reduced its carbon emissions, including the use of renewable energy certificates, between 2017 and 2021 from both its own operations (-88 per cent) and its supply chain (-12 per cent), in spite of strong sales growth in the same period. By 2025, Puma aims to make nine out of 10 products with more sustainable materials, the company said in a press release.

The company was the most sustainable brand in the industry according to the latest ranking by Business of Fashion, which analysed the 30 largest companies in the fashion business.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RR)