Chemical Detox: The protest that cleaned up China’s rivers

Germany based content creator Luke Jaque-Rodney interviews Klaas Nuttbohm, Implementation Director at ZDHC, an organisation that aims to reduce the fashion industry’s chemical footprint. They discuss how and why making fashion needs chemicals, and what they're doing to lead garment manufacturers towards better alternatives.

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PUMA has ten target areas, each with goals, that PUMA is striving to reach by 2025. This episode focuses on the target area of Chemicals.

Chemicals are a crucial component in the fashion industry – found in the dyes used to colour the fabrics, chemicals used in recycling processes such as RE:FIBRE, or chemicals that add functionality - such as waterproofing – to a garment or shoe. Have you ever stain-guarded your shoes? Well, that’s chemicals. And the industry needs to use better ones.

Goal 1: Ensure 100% of PUMA products are safe to use

In 2022, we had no product recalls

Goal 2: Maintain RSL compliance rate above 90%

RSL stands for Restricted Substance List of chemicals. Before products get packed up and shipped off, the components they are made of have been tested for the presence of the chemicals that are on this list. In 2022 we had a compliance rate of 98.5%. Of the 1.5% that didn’t pass, these materials were not used in production.

Goal 3: Reduce organic solvent usage to under 10 g/pair

Ever opened a box of shoes and been overwhelmed by the smell? That’s the smell of organic solvents used within glues or cleaning solutions that are applied to footwear. These are known as volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.

In 2022, PUMA had a VOC index of 13.2 g/pair that has reduced from 66.7 since 2003. This is important because exposure to high volumes can harm the environment and anyone who comes into contact with these compounds.

After being used, chemicals have to go somewhere - and so this episode has talked a lot about waste water. PUMA also has goals on improving on this, stated under the Water & Air Target Area. Keep an eye out for that episode to find out more, and see how we’re tracking in the show notes.

PUMA publishes all of its progress, challenges and setbacks in its Sustainability Report. You can find the 2022 report online now by going to about.puma.com