Puma Stepping Up Its Sustainability Efforts
By Canadian Packaging Staff
Sustainability Clever Little Bag Fuseproject PUMA AG Rudolf Dassler SportGlobal sportswear giant PUMA AG Rudolf Dassler Sport (PUMA) is putting its best foot forward in a concerted effort to reduce the company’s environmental footprint with an innovative footwear products packaging and distribution system that aims go reduce the amount of paper used for its shoeboxes by 65 per cent and carbon emissions by 10,000 tons per year.
Scheduled for rollout in the second half of 2011, the program will utilize the so-called Clever Little Bag—developed by designer Yves Béhar, of San Francisco, Ca.-based fuseproject (see picture)—that will replace traditional cardboard shoeboxes with a reusable shoe bag to protect each pair of shoes from damage from the point it leaves the factory floor until the consumer takes it home.
p>“I was excited to partner with PUMA and contribute to such a game-changing project,” says Béhar. “The company’s initiative to look closely at one of the most challenging issues facing the retail industry in regards to sustainability and environmental harm was truly inspirational.
“In changing the packaging and distribution life-cycle from the ground up, we hope our new design and comprehensive solution encourages other retail companies to follow suit.”
In addition to introducing the Clever Little Bag, PUMA is also planning to replace the traditional plastic and paper shopping bags at its stores with biodegradable bags—saving another 192 tons of plastic and 293 tons of paper annually.