PUMA Supports Environmental Movie ‘HOME’

HERZOGENAURACH, Germany, June 2 /PRNewswire/ — Sportlifestyle company PUMA supports the environmental movie “HOME,” directed by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, photographer and author of “Earth From Above”, and produced by Luc Besson. The movie will be released worldwide on 5 June 2009 — the World Environment Day — in cinemas, on DVD, and for free on television and the Internet. Through the PUMAVision category puma.creative PUMA will endorse showings of the movie in cultural institutions in Africa and beyond.

The documentary about environmental issues, which was filmed across fifty countries and shot entirely from the sky in high definition, offers a powerful commentary on the major environmental and social issues challenging our world and calls for a new awareness that protecting the earth is indispensable. It is the result of a collaboration between the photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand, the producer and director Luc Besson and Francois-Henri Pinault, the Chief Executive of the French luxury group PPR — the majority shareholder of PUMA and the world exclusive partner of HOME.

“Creating awareness of our environment’s emergency state is crucial and the first step for an improved handling of our natural resources,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO of PUMA. “In line with our PUMAVision concept, PUMA has implemented numerous environmental initiatives through various programs that aim at reducing our ‘paw print’ — the effects that PUMA’s operations and actions have on the environment. The HOME film inspires us to work towards making a positive contribution to our planet. We hope that it will inspire audiences everywhere,” he added.

puma.creative funds the screening of HOME at the Planetarium in Cape Town in South Africa, at the National Museum of Nairobi in Kenya and at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) in Boston, organized in cooperation with the French Cultural Service amongst others.

It is the first movie to be released simultaneously across all media and all continents. The simultaneous worldwide release provides as many people as possible with the opportunity to watch this profound documentary as a global collective. Any proceeds from the sale of merchandising products related to the film will be donated to the organization www.goodplanet.org.

PUMAVision unites all PUMA initiatives that come under the heading ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’, giving them a coherent direction and framework. It comes from a vision of a world that is better than the one we know now — a world that is safer, more peaceful and more creative. The PUMAVision programs puma.safe, puma.peace and puma.creative reflect PUMA’s commitment to social and environmental responsibility and define the partnerships and initiatives PUMA will support and pursue.

For more information about the film, visit http://www.home-2009.com

PUMA

PUMA is one of the world’s leading Sportlifestyle companies that designs and develops footwear, apparel and accessories. It is committed to working in ways that contribute to the world by supporting Peace, Creativity, and SAFE Sustainability, and by staying true to the values of being Fair, Honest, Positive and Creative in decisions made and actions taken. PUMA starts in Sport and ends in Fashion. Its Sport Performance and Lifestyle labels include categories such as Football, Running, Motorsports, Golf and Sailing. The Black label features collaborations with renowned designers such as Alexander McQueen, Yasuhiro Mihara and Sergio Rossi. The PUMA Group owns the brands PUMA, Tretorn and Hussein Chalayan. The company, which was founded in 1948, distributes its products in more than 120 countries, employs more than 9,000 people worldwide and has headquarters in Herzogenaurach/Germany, Boston, London and Hong Kong. For more information, please visit www.puma.com

About PPR

PPR develops a portfolio of high-growth global brands. Through its Consumer and Luxury brands, PPR generated sales of euro 20.2 billion in 2008. The Group is present in 94 countries and territories with approximately 88,000 employees. PPR shares are listed on Euronext Paris (FR 0000121485, PRTP.PA, PPFP).

To explore the universe of PPR brands go to www.ppr.com: Fnac, Redcats Group (La Redoute, Vertbaudet, Somewhere, Cyrillus, Daxon, Ellos, The Sportsman’s Guide, The Golf Warehouse and brands of the plus-size division), Conforama, CFAO, Puma and the Luxury brands of Gucci Group (Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Boucheron, Sergio Rossi, Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney).

SOURCE PUMA