So much of the waste that is produced in consumer goods can be found in the packaging. Not only does a bulk of the packaging end up as waste (some recyclable, some not), but the impact on a company’s fiscal bottom line can be significant. For instance, the plastic that encases USB drives or small consumer electronics is both irritating to cut through and not recyclable in every community. This is where Puma’s “clever little bag” comes into play.

“After more than ten years of successful implementation of its social and environmental standards (puma.safe), PUMA launched the next pivotal phase of its ambitious long-term sustainability program on April 13th at the Design Museum in London. By introducing its cutting-edge sustainable packaging and distribution system by renowned industrial designer Yves Béhar, PUMA set new standards within the retail industry. The new innovative solution will significantly reduce the amount of waste and CO₂ emissions that traditional product packaging such as shoe-boxes and apparel polyethylene bags generate and underpins PUMA’s target of reducing carbon, energy, water, and waste by 25%, and developing 50% of its international product collections in footwear, apparel and accessories according to best practice sustainability standards by 2015.”

The clever little bag is one of Puma’s numerous steps the company has taken to increase efficiency and reduce waste. The following is a list of measures they have taken.

• 25% reduction of CO2, energy, water and waste in PUMA offices, stores, warehouses and direct supplier factories.
• Paperless office policy through a 75% reduction and offsetting initiatives for the remaining paper usage such as tree planting initiatives.
• 25% CO2 reduction through more efficient product transport solutions by our logistic partners.
• Begin collaborating with our strategic suppliers and logistic service providers to offset their own footprints in the long-term.
• Introduction of the PUMA Sustainability-Index (S-Index) standard that serves as a benchmark for sustainable products and communicates the products’ sustainable features to consumers.
• 50% of PUMA’s international collections will be manufactured according to the PUMA S-Index standard by 2015, using sustainable materials such as organic cotton, Cotton Made in Africa or recycled polyester as well as applying best practice production processes.

According to the following video, Puma considered over 2,000 ideas and 40-plus packing prototypes before settling on the current “bag”. They estimate that there will be a 65% reduction in the amount of paper cardboard consumed, as well as saving 8500 tons of paper. This translates into 20 million megajoules of electricity and 1 million liters of water being saved. Lastly, they will reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by 10,000 tons.

In addition to replacing the ubiquitous shoebox, “PUMA’s apparel collections will be bagged using sustainable material, replacing traditional polyethylene bags. This means that 720 tons of polyethylene bags can be avoided per year, which equals a saving of 29 million plastic bags — enough to cover an area the size of 1000 football pitches.” Puma will also undertake some simple steps to reduce energy consumption and costs. “PUMA T-shirts will be folded one more time to reduce the packaging size and thus saving CO2 emissions and costs during transport. By switching out current plastic and paper shopping bags in PUMA stores and replacing them with sustainable biodegradable bags the sportlifestyle company is looking to save another 192 tons of plastic and 293 tons of paper annually.”

By rethinking, and redesigning, everyday products, companies can save money and resources, while reducing their costs. As the debut at the Design Museum in London suggests, these products can also go from mundane to exemplary.

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