International footballers Neymar, Gianluigi Buffon, retired Sergio Agüero, Antoine Griezmann, Marco Reus, Raphael Varane, Luis Suárez, David Silva, retired Vincent Kompany, Christian Pulisic, Yann Sommer, Jonas Hofmann and more sport Puma football boots.[46]
Puma holds a 5% stake in German football club Borussia Dortmund, and has been its supplier since 2012.[47] In 2014, Puma and Arsenal Football Club entered a 5-year merchandising partnership, the biggest deal in Puma and Arsenal's history.[48] The partnership ended in 2019. Other football clubs include Manchester City F.C., Barrow AFC, Olympique de Marseille, Fenerbahçe S.K., Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Lillestrøm SK, Valencia CF, AC Milan, Peñarol, US Sassuolo, Club de Fútbol Monterrey, Bengaluru FC, Chennaiyin FC, Mumbai City FC and many others. National football teams include Iceland, Switzerland, Austria, Morocco, Egypt, Israel, and Uruguay.[49]
In athletics (track and field), Puma sponsors the athletic associations for Brazil (CBAt),[50] Jamaica (JAAA), Cuba (FCA), The Bahamas (BAAA), Grenada (GAA), Trinidad & Tobago (NAAATT), Dominica (DAAA), Barbados (AAB), Portugal (FPAtletismo), Switzerland (Swiss Athletics), and Norway (NFIF).[51] It also has the world's fastest man, Jamaican track athlete Usain Bolt, under contract along with other track and field athletes like Andre De Grasse, Karsten Warholm, and Gianmarco Tamberi. Several world records were achieved by athletes wearing Puma shoes, such as Heinz Futterer (1954), Armin Hary (1960), Jim Hines (1976), Tommie Smith (1968), Asafa Powell (2015), and Usain Bolt (2002).[52][53]
In 2018, Puma announced its entrance back into basketball after a break of almost 20 years, and appointed Jay-Z as the division's creative director.[54][55] Marvin Bagley III, Deandre Ayton, Zhaire Smith, and Michael Porter Jr. are the first players to join Puma's basketball roster and play in performance Puma basketball shoes.[56][57] In December 2021, the brand launched High Court, its first women's basketball line, designed by creative director June Ambrose.[58]
Puma made its partnership with netball after 28 years by sponsoring the Melbourne Vixens in 2018, and became the official apparel sponsor of New Zealand's national netball team, the Silver Ferns.[59][60] Golfers such as Rickie Fowler and Lexi Thompson are equipped by Puma's golf brand Cobra Golf.[61][62][63]
Puma is the main producer of enthusiast driving shoes and race suits and entered a partnership with BMW, Ducati and Ferrari to make their respective shoes.[64] In Formula 1, Puma equips the teams of Mercedes AMG Petronas, Scuderia Ferrari and Alfa Romeo,[65] they also equipped Red Bull Racing until 2022. It also sponsors BMW and Porsche in all of their Motorsports activities.[66] In NASCAR, Puma equips Team Penske with fire suits, gloves, and shoes.[67]
Rihanna was named creative director of Puma's womenswear line in December 2014.[68] Two years later, Puma partnered with The Weeknd as a creative collaborator.[69] In 2018, Puma launched its venture with its ambassador Selena Gomez called "Phenom Lux''[70][71]
In 2000, Puma began auditing all of its suppliers on a yearly basis, and makes the results available in its sustainability reports. Since 2005, it has publicly provided a list of its suppliers.[72]
In August 2004, a joint report from the National Labor Committee and China Labor Watch stated that workers at some of Puma's Chinese factories were enduring sweatshop conditions, working up to 16.5 hours per day for about US$0.31 an hour. Puma said it would investigate the claims.[73]
In February 2012, a woman who worked for one of Puma's suppliers in Cambodia was shot during a protest over factory working conditions. Puma acknowledged the poor working conditions and said it would work to improve the situation.[74]
According to a joint report from Labour Behind the Label and Community Legal Education Centre, 30 workers fainted in November 2012 while producing clothing for Puma in China. The faintings were caused by excessive heat and alleged forced overtime.[75][76] In 2014, almost 120 workers fainted in two Cambodian clothing factories where sportswear was being produced for Puma and Adidas, due to temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 °C).[76][77] In March 2017, 150 workers assembling Puma products in Cambodia fainted due to thick smoke.[78]
Puma has obtained the Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation for its Australian-made products.[79] This labour-friendly accreditation applies to only a small percentage of Puma's total production.[citation needed]
In 2020, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute accused at least 82 major brands, including Puma, of being connected to forced Uyghur labor in Xinjiang.[80] In 2022, researchers from Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences identified cotton from Xinjiang in Puma shirts.[81]
In May 2011, English newspaper The Guardian stated that Puma was the "world's first major company to put a value on its environmental impact" and that Puma "has made a commitment that within four years, half its international collections will be manufactured according to its internal sustainability standard, by using more sustainable materials such as recycled polyester, as well as ensuring its suppliers develop more sustainable materials and products."[82]
Puma is also known for boosting positive environmental practices in its supply chain through financial incentives. The supply chain finance scheme implemented links the sustainability performance of key suppliers to the costs at which they can access finance. The system won the company an "Innovation Award" in Supply Chain Finance in 2016.[83]
In 2023, Puma announced that it would stop using kangaroo leather in its products, including its redesigned KING football boot, which features uppers containing at least 20% recycled material.[84][85]