The International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) is a global initiative launched by the United Nations for 2010 to help raise awareness on the importance of biodiversity and to encourage worldwide action to conserve plants and animals and the environments in which they live. The 'Play for Life' campaign focuses on Africa, a continent that hosts exceptional biodiversity including two of the five most important wilderness areas on Earth – the Congo Basin, and Miombo-Mopane Woodlands and Savannas of Southern Africa. Nine of the planet's 35 Biodiversity hotspots, the richest and most threatened reservoirs of plant and animal life on Earth, are also in Africa.

According to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), biodiversity is under threat around the planet – we are creating the greatest extinction crisis since the natural disaster that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Species have been disappearing at up to 1,000 times the natural rate, and this is predicted to rise dramatically. Based on current trends, an estimated 34,000 plant and 5,200 animal species - including one in eight of the world's bird species - face extinction.

At their 'Play for Life' press conference held today in Nairobi, Kenya, PUMA unveiled their key fundraising lever, the revolutionary new Africa Unity Kit --the world's first 'continental football kit' designed to be worn by the 12 African football national teams that PUMA sponsors. These include the World Cup qualified teams Ghana, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Algeria who are headed to the Africa Cup of Nations' with hosts Angola and the national teams of Egypt, Mozambique, Togo and Tunisia, as well as non-qualified federations of Senegal, Morocco and Namibia. Puma also sponsors some of the continent's best players -- Samuel Eto'o, Emmanuel Eboué and John Mensah.

The Africa Unity Kit has been approved by FIFA who have officially recognised it as the Official 3rd kit* to be worn by those PUMA-sponsored African teams.

With all eyes on Africa during the 2010 football season– the Africa Unity Kit makes a compelling global statement. By supporting the Africa Unity Kit, African teams are not only uniting as a powerful force in world football, but also raising awareness of the importance of environmental issues. PUMA's profits from sales of the replica fanwear for the Unity Kits will help fund biodiversity programs in Africa, and in particular endangered species on the continent such as lions, elephants, gorillas and the desert fox.

The sportlifestyle company has a host of other gear designed to generate additional funds to support biodiversity, including PUMA Unity t-shirts and PUMA Lacelets, collectable shoe laces featuring patterns from world-renowned artist Kehinde Wiley. These products all bear the PUMA Yellow "life" Label, which gives consumers an easy way to identify products that benefit projects supported by PUMAVision, PUMA's Corporate Social Responsibility Program. A portion of the profits from the Yellow "life" label products will also go to fund the biodiversity programmes.

"In 2010, Africa will be at the centre of the footballing world. The 'Play for Life' campaign and the release of the Africa Unity Kit is a powerful statement for PUMA. PUMA is creating a unique kit embracing the diversity of African Nations teams while valuing the unity of players and supporters towards a common goal," said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO, PUMA AG who helped launch the Africa Unity Kit. "Biodiversity and therefore valuing and protecting all life on our planet is a huge issue, not only in Africa, but around the world - and we are proud to partner with UNEP to raise both awareness and funds through the sale of our Unity products."

"As the whole planet comes together for the World Cup, 2010 marks the year when people around the world will unite to conserve the planet's almost priceless natural resource - its biodiversity. UNEP is delighted to partner with PUMA to bring this important message to millions of fans," said Angela Cropper, UNEP's Deputy Executive Director, at the press conference today.

"The planet's living organisms are the building blocks of the multi-trillion dollar services-- from freshwater to agricultural nutrients--that underpin all life on Earth including its economic, social and sporting life. Bringing together the public's global passion for football with its global passion for animals, plants and other life-forms surely makes a match-winning team," she added.

Cameroon's captain Samuel Eto'o, flanked by fellow squad members at the unveiling in Nairobi, commented: "The new Africa Unity Kit has inspired me and my teammates. Not only are we very proud to wear a shirt that helps bring the continent of Africa together but to do so for such an important cause is truly an honour. Supporting the Africa Unity Kit sends out a positive message for Africa – we are a uniting as a continent to help life and the planet."

The UNEP-PUMA 'Play for Life' campaign will support the International Year of Biodiversity by:

• Raising awareness worldwide about biodiversity and the International Year of Biodiversity among football fans and the general public during football events including the African Nations Cup and international friendly games
• Raising awareness through Public Service Announcements featuring football stars
• Encouraging the public to take action to conserve biodiversity
• Raising funds through the Africa Unity Kit and other PUMA Unity football products under the Yellow "life" label to support biodiversity projects in Africa.

Download

Download

Download

Download

Download

Download

Download

For More Information Please Contact:

Sara Gottman, International PR, PUMA,
+617.488.2914,
sara.gottman@puma.com

Kevin Gannon, Edelman PR,
+44 796 869 7033,
kevin.gannon@edelman.com

Nick Nuttall,
Spokesperson/Head of Media, UNEP,
+ 254 (0) 733 632755,
nick.nuttall@unep.org

Anne-France White,
UNEP Information Officer,
+254 (0) 728 600 494,
anne-france.white@unep.org

NOTES TO EDITORS:

*Football teams have standard home and away kits. The third kit is traditionally worn when both the home and away kits clash. PUMA has given a new twist to the third kit, by launching the Africa Unity Kit, creating the world's first 'continental' kit. This third kit will be worn by PUMA-sponsored African teams in 2010 in matches yet to be finalized.

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 Creativity, SAFE Sustainability and Peace, 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.

UNEP
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the voice for the environment in the UN system. Established in 1972, UNEP's mission is to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. UNEP is an advocate, educator, catalyst and facilitator promoting the wise use of the planet's natural assets for sustainable development. It works with many partners, UN entities, international organizations, national governments, non-governmental organizations, business, industry, the media and civil society. UNEP's work involves providing support for: environmental assessment and reporting; legal and institutional strengthening and environmental policy development; sustainable use and management of natural resources; integration of economic development and environmental protection; and promoting public participation in environmental management.

Four years later, in 2004, Samuel Eto'o moved to FC Barcelona, where he played until 2009. During his time with Barcelona, Eto'o became one of the most acclaimed strikers of the world, after receiving the title of UEFA Champions League Best Forward for 2006, the same year that FC Barcelona won the double Spanish League Primera and the UEFA Champions League. The 2009/2010 season brought a change for Eto'o and he moved to Inter Milan where he continues to showcase his skills as a striker.

International Career

After earning his first international cap in 1996, Samuel Eto'o continued to become the youngest player of the 1998 World Cup 2 years later, at the age of 17. His rise has impressed even his strongest critics. His international career includes wins in the 2000 and 2002 African Cup of Nations and the 2000 Summer Olympics. The only player to receive three consecutive African Player of the Year titles in 2003, 2004 and 2005, Samuel Eto'o has helped Cameroon become a feared force in football. At the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, Cameroon finished as a runner-up.

Eto'o scored his sole goal of the 2002 World Cup when he netted the game-winner against Saudi Arabia during the group stage on 6 June 2002, which was Cameroon's only win of the competition. During the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, Eto'o became the all time leading scorer of the competition, finishing as the top scorer for the second consecutive tournament. He is also the player with the most goals scored in the history of the Cameroon National Team.

He is also the player with the most goals scored in the history of the Cameroon National Team.

Playing Style

Samuel Eto'o was described in 2006 by football "pundit" Tommy Smyth as one of the best pure strikers in the world. He is known for his quick pace and agility on and off the ball and an ability to score equally well with both feet as well as his head. His style of play is characteristically daring and he often runs at defenders and goalkeepers with total confidence in his ability to get the ball past them. Because of his slight frame, Eto'o relies on nimbleness and timing rather than strength to score, and he frequently scores on the first touch after running onto well-placed through balls. He has also been known to use a move in which he passes the ball to himself high over the opposing goalkeeper before running around him, settling the pass, and scoring.

Personal Life

Samuel Eto’o has two brothers, also professional football players. David Pierre Eto’o Fils plays for Reus Deportiu and Etienne Emmanuel Eto’o Fils, who plays for Real Mallorca; both brothers are playing as strikers as well. Samuel Eto’o is married to Georgette Eto’o, with whom he has three children: Etienne, Maelle and Siena. Samuel Eto’s family lives in Paris, France.

Honors

Mallorca

• Copa del Rey Winner: 2002 – 2003

Barcelona

• La Liga: Winner (3): 2004-05, 2005-06, 2008-09
• Supercopa de España: Winner (2): 2005–06, 2006–07 –
• UEFA Champions League: Winner (1): 2005-06
• Copa del Rey: Winner (1): 2008-09

International

• African Cup of Nations: Winner (2): 2000,2002
• Confederations Cup: Runner up (1): 2003
• African Cup of Nations: Runner up (1): 2008
• 2000 Summer Olympics: Gold medal (1): 2000

Individual

• African Cup of Nations Top Scorer: 2006, 2008
• African Player of the Year: 2003, 2004, 2005
• FIFPro World XI: 2004-05, 2005-06
• UEFA Champions League Best Forward: 2006
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2005, 2006
• Spanish La Liga Top Scorer: 2006
• World XI Striker: 2004-2005, 2005-2006
• Most Goals Scored In Domestic League RCD Mallorca: 54 Goals
• African Cup of Nations Top Scorer Of All Times: With 16 Goals [As of January 9th, 2010]
• Most Goals Scored In History Of Cameroon National Team- FIFA World Player of the Year: Third Place: 2005

Zeitz has spearheaded and held primary responsibility for the worldwide restructuring of PUMA, which was in financial difficulties at the time. He reached the first major milestone within his first year as CEO, when PUMA delivered its first profitable performance since 1986, posting consolidated sales of 210 million Euros with an EBIT of 23 million Euros in 1994. In 2008, PUMA generated annual sales growth for the 14th time in a row reaching an EBIT of 350 million Euros and consolidated sales of 2.5 billion Euros. The share price gained around 4000 percent in 13 years, from 8.6 Euros in 1993 to an all time high of 350 Euros in April 2007.

Zeitz managed to turn PUMA from a low price brand into a premium Sportlifestyle company and one of the top 3 brands in the sporting good industry by sticking to a long-term development plan that he introduced in 1993. Zeitz currently is the longest serving CEO of a public DAX/MDAX company in Germany.

Jochen Zeitz believes in success through passion and he is a great aficionado of the African continent, its people and culture. He speaks six foreign languages, including Swahili. Africa also plays an important role for PUMA. PUMA will once again be one of the most dominant brands at the World Cup 2010 hosted in South Africa. It currently outfits 11 African Football Federations as well as the reigning World Champion, Italy.

Zeitz believes that PUMA's position as the creative leader in Sportlifestyle presents the opportunity (Corporate Social Opportunity, CSO) – and the responsibility – to contribute to a better world for the generations to come. In 2008, he introduced PUMAVision – an initiative to implement a corporate ethical framework defined by the four key principles of being Fair, Honest, Positive and Creative as applied to all professional behavior, business procedures and relationships throughout and outside of PUMA. Through PUMAVision, new initiatives are created that drive the company to cleaner, greener, safer and more sustainable systems and practices contributing to peace as well as promoting creativity and art, closely working alongside the FLA (Fair Labor Association) and UDHR (Universal Declaration for Human Rights) as a guide to ensure best practice and inspiring other corporations to reach a united objective.

In 2008, Zeitz founded the "Zeitz Foundation of Intercultural Ecosphere Safety" to support creative and innovative sustainable projects that balance conservation, community development, culture, and commerce (the "4Cs"), promoting an inclusive, holistic paradigm of conservation that enhances livelihood's and fosters intercultural dialogue.

Jochen Zeitz has been a member of the Board of Directors of Harley Davidson since 2007 and has received numerous awards during his professional career, including "2001 Entrepreneur of the Year", "Strategist of the Year" for three years in a row by the Financial Times", "Trendsetter of the Year" and "Best of European Business Award 2006". In 2004, the German Federal President awarded him with the Federal Cross of Merit of the Republic of Germany.

Throughout her career, she has advocated for the equitable use of natural resources and has actively participated in many high-level processes at the cutting edge of sustainable development. She played a key role in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and led two sub-global assessments on the Northern Range in Trinidad and the Caribbean Sea.

Angela has received a number of environmental awards in recognition of her achievements and her visionary leadership and selfless public service which have catalyzed numerous activities for equity, peace and sustainable development at both international and local levels.

She is currently serving on a number of international advisory boards, including the CARICOM Task Force on Functional Cooperation, the Council of the United Nations University, the European Union High-Level Panel on Sustainability, the Board of Trustees of the Stockholm Environment Institute and the External Advisory Group to the World Bank on the Implementation of its forest strategy.

Angela has also been a Visiting Distinguished Fellow with the Woods Hole Research Center and a Visiting Distinguished Fellow and McClusky Fellow with the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

She has a degree in development economics and international law from Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados, respectively.

Key messages from 2010 International Year of Biodiversity:

• Humans are part of nature's rich diversity and have the power to protect or destroy it.
• Biodiversity, the variety of life on Earth, is essential to sustaining the living networks and systems that provide us all with health, wealth, food, fuel and the vital services our lives depend on.
• Human activity is causing the diversity of life on Earth to be lost at a greatly accelerated rate. These losses are irreversible, impoverish us all and damage the life support systems we rely on every day. But we can prevent them.
• We have made some achievements to safeguard biodiversity but we need to do much more and we must act urgently.

What is Biodiversity?

Biodiversity is life. Biodiversity is our life.

Biodiversity is short for biological diversity. It refers to the variety of all living things on the planet, the interactions between them and with their environment.

Biodiversity includes all the animals, plants and microorganisms and the complex ways they interact with each other to form communities and ecosystems.

Why is biodiversity important?

Biodiversity is the ultimate foundation of human wellbeing. It provides:

• food
• breathable air
• drinkable water
• fertile soils
• timber and fuel
• fibres and cloth
• medicines
• a stable climate
• soil conservation and flood control
• waste recycling

Most of the oxygen you breathe comes from plankton in the oceans of the world and lush forests around the globe.

Your diet depends almost entirely on the plants and animals around us, from the grasses that give us rice and wheat, to the fish and meat from both wild and farmed landscapes.

The fruit and vegetables you eat were likely pollinated by bees.

The water you drink is part of a huge global cycle involving you, clouds, rainfall, glaciers, rivers and oceans.

Your body contains up to 100 trillion cells and is connected with everything around you and the wider world in a wonderfully complex and timeless system. You share your atoms with every being and object in the natural world, you are both ancient and inconceivably young.

Biodiversity is life, your life is biodiversity and biodiversity is you.

Together the biological process and interactions that provide clean air and water, food, and a stable environment are called "ecosystem services", and to function properly they rely on biodiversity.

What is threatening Biodiversity?

Species of animals and plants are becoming extinct at the fastest rate known in geological history and most of these extinctions have been tied to human activity.

Deforestation, habitat destruction, climate change, over-fishing, expansion of agricultural land, hunting, poaching, wildlife trade, pollution, acidification of oceans and rivers are some of the causes of biodiversity loss. They result in:

• habitat loss and destruction

The homes and environments on which species depend for their survival are being destroyed. This is usually as a direct result of human activity and population growth.

• species loss or extinction

In the interconnected, interdependent web of life, the loss of one species can interfere with the way ecosystems function and this can lead to a loss of other species.

• The introduction of alien (non-native) species

These invaders can adversely affect native species by eating them, infecting them, eating their food, or taking their homes.

Biodiversity facts

Species and extinction:

• You share the planet with as many as 13 million different living species including plants, animals and bacteria. Only 1.75 million of which have been named and recorded.
• 36 per cent of all species assessed by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) are threatened with extinction.
• The number of species known to be threatened with extinction is 17,291. This includes one in four mammals and one in eight birds.
• Species extinction since the year 1600 has occurred at 50 to 100 times the natural rate, and is expected to accelerate to between 1,000 and 10,000 times the natural rate by 2020.
• Of the 129 recorded bird extinctions, 103 have become extinct in the last 200 years.
• At least 784 species have become extinct since the year 1500, according to the 2004 Red List of Threatened Species published by the IUCN.

Biodiversity and forests:

• Today, just one fifth of the world's original forest cover remains in large tracts of relatively undisturbed forest.
• From 2000 to 2005, the net forest loss was 7.3 million hectares per year an area the size of Sierra Leone or Panama and equivalent to 200 km2 per day.
• Tropical forests contain the highest number of threatened species.
• Over the past two decades, many of the world's most important agricultural crops have lost genetic diversity due to changes in agricultural practices
• An estimated 1-3.4 million tons of wild meat (bushmeat) are harvested annually from the Congo Basin, believed to be six times the sustainable rate.
• Worldwide, deforestation continues at an alarming rate, about 13 million hectares per year, an area the size of Greece or Nicaragua.

Economic value of ecosystem services:

• The economic value of the global annual fish catch is US$58 billion;
• Anti-cancer agents from marine organisms are valued at up to US$1 billion per year;
• The value of honeybees as pollinators for agricultural crops is estimated to be up to US$8 billion per year;
• The global value of coral reefs to fisheries and tourism is estimated at US$30 billion per year ;
• Ten of the world's 25 top-selling drugs in 1997 were derived from natural sources. The global market value of pharmaceuticals derived from genetic resources is estimated at US$75 billion to US$150 billion annually;
• Earth provides a minimum of US$16 trillion to $54 trillion dollars worth of 'services' to humans per year;

Biodiversity and water:

• 60 per cent of the world rivers have been fragmented by dams and rivers;
• 50 per cent of inland water habitats have been transformed for human use during the twentieth century;
• 75 per cent of the world's fish stocks are fully or overexploited;
• Worldwide, the services provided by coral reef services, measured in human economic terms, have an average annual value estimated at US$172 billion;
• An estimated 58 per cent of the world's coral reefs, some of which rival tropical rainforests for biodiversity, are at risk from human activities. In Southeast Asia, more than 80 per cent of reefs are at risk;
• By 2000 27 per cent of the world's coral reefs had been degraded by climate-related coral bleaching;
• 50 per cent of the world's wetlands have been lost since 1900;
• Between 34 and 80 fish species have become extinct since the late nineteenth century, six since 1970;

Biodiversity hotspots:

• Twenty-five biodiversity hotspots contain 44 per cent of all plant species and 35 per cent of all terrestrial vertebrate species in only 1.4 per cent of the planet's land area.
• Ninety-eight per cent of Madagascar's land mammals, 92 per cent of its reptiles, 68 per cent of its plants and 41 per cent of its breeding bird species exist nowhere else on Earth.
• Sixty per cent of the plant species endemic to Ecuador's Galapagos Islands are threatened with extinction, as are 75 per cent of the endemic plant species of the Canary Islands.

Particularly for this memorable football game, adidas and PUMA had created a football kit in black and white that sported adidas' three stipe logo as well as PUMA's leaping cat. The kit is part of a limited collection of 80 pieces, that will be auctioned for PEACE ONE DAY. Football celebrity Alexander Hleb, player of German premier league club VfB Stuttgart and captain of the Belarus national team, supported the initiative by signing autographs and giving PEACE ONE DAY footballs to the fans onsite.

Following the match adidas and PUMA employees went together to PUMA's Brand Center in Nuremberg to watch the movie "The Day after Peace" by British actor and director Jeremy Gilley.

Last weekend, both companies had already taken the message and idea of PEACE ONE DAY into the football stadiums of Munich and Stuttgart. During the halftimes of the German premier league games FC Bayern Munich - 1. FC Nuremberg and VfB Stuttgart - 1. FC Cologne adidas and PUMA employees took part in a penalty shoot out with former premier league goalkeeper Walter Junghans and shared PEACE ONE DAY balls with the fans.

The companies adidas and PUMA were founded by the brothers Rudolf and Adi Dassler in the 1940s. Until they separated and went their own ways, they both owned a factory called "Gebrüder Dassler Sportschuhfabrik" where they together manufactured sports shoes – quite successfully as the world records of Jesse Owens proved. In the last decades, adidas and PUMA became worldwide leading brands. Both companies are still based in Herzogenaurach, Germany.

Download

Download

Download

Download

adidas Group
The adidas Group is one of the global leaders within the sporting goods industry, offering a broad range of products around three core segments: adidas, Reebok and TaylorMade-adidas Golf. Headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany, the Group has more than 38,000 employees and generated sales of EUR 10.8 billion in 2008. For more information, please visit www.adidas-group.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 Creativity, SAFE Sustainability and Peace, 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, Mihara Yasuhiro 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

PEACE ONE DAY
Jeremy Gilley started PEACE ONE DAY (POD) as a movie project in order to establish an annual day of ceasefire and nonviolence. In 2001 PEACE ONE DAY achieved its primary objective; having the UN general assembly adopt a resolution by all UN member states to formally establish an annual day of global ceasefire and non-violence. This International Day of Peace is September 21st. You will find more information on PEACE ONE DAY on www.peaceoneday.org. PUMA has been a partner of PEACE ONE DAY since 2007.

Media Contacts:

PUMA

Ulf Santjer
Head of Corporate Communications
Tel.: +49 (0) 9132 81-2489
ulf.santjer@puma.com

Kerstin Neuber
Deputy Head of Corporate Communications
Tel.: +49 (0) 9132 81-2984
Kerstin.neuber@puma.com

"We at adidas are very proud to support PEACE ONE DAY together with PUMA. We firmly believe that sport can bring the world together. Sport has shown this at countless occasions in the past and we are committed to the positive values found in sport: performance and passion, teamwork and fair play," said Herbert Hainer, CEO of adidas AG. "I am looking very much forward to our adidas and PUMA football match and I hope that our joint initiative helps to raise further awareness for PEACE ONE DAY around the world."

Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO of PUMA, said: "We are uniting on this day as a commitment to Peace Day. Our common goal being that our collaboration today will help create awareness for the day. Kofi Annan once said that 'individuals can make a difference and collectively we can make a major contribution'. I believe that is the case also for companies. And our unity, in support of Peace Day, is a small step in a positive direction as well as an expression of the united power of sport in a world which we are all responsible for."

The companies adidas and PUMA were founded by the brothers Rudolf and Adi Dassler in the 1940s. Until they separated and went their own ways, they both owned a factory called "Gebrüder Dassler Sportschuhfabrik" where they together manufactured sports shoes – quite successfully as the world records of Jesse Owens proved. In the last decades, adidas and PUMA became worldwide leading brands. Both companies are still based in Herzogenaurach, Germany.

adidas Group The adidas Group is one of the global leaders within the sporting goods industry, offering a broad range of products around three core segments: adidas, Reebok and TaylorMade-adidas Golf. Headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany, the Group has more than 38,000 employees and generated sales of EUR 10.8 billion in 2008. For more information, please visit www.adidas-group.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 Creativity, SAFE Sustainability and Peace, 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, Mihara Yasuhiro 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.

PEACE ONE DAY Jeremy Gilley started PEACE ONE DAY (POD) as a movie project in order to establish an annual day of ceasefire and non-violence. In 2001 PEACE ONE DAY achieved its primary objective; having the UN general assembly adopt a resolution by all UN member states to formally establish an annual day of global ceasefire and non-violence. This International Day of Peace is September 21st. You will find more information on PEACE ONE DAY on www.peaceoneday.org. PUMA has been a partner of PEACE ONE DAY since 2007.

Media Contacts:

adidas
Oliver Brüggen
Director PR Area Central adidas
Tel.: +49 (0) 9132 84-2536

Katja Schreiber
Corporate PR Manager adidas
Tel.: +49 (0) 9132 84-3810

PUMA
Ulf Santjer Head of Corporate Communications
Tel.: +49 (0) 9132 81-2489
ulf.santjer@puma.com

Kerstin Neuber
Group Deputy Head of Corporate Communications
Tel.: +49 (0) 9132 81-2984
Kerstin.neuber@puma.com

"We are proud that our African-themed collections have been created with African involvement which makes them much more authentic and more desirable," said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO of PUMA. "PUMA's commitment to Africa now goes beyond our position as the leading supplier for African Football Teams. Following our vision of creating a better world, we do our part to improve quality of life and environmental standards in Africa by supporting "Cotton Made in Africa".

Cotton in Africa is produced without artificial irrigation due to the poverty, the lack of infrastructure and low water reserves. An efficient use of rainfall is therefore all the more important. The "Cotton Made in Africa" project wants to create an efficient management of farms by offering training and advice. Techniques such as mulching to keep the soil covered and to prevent such a high-level of evaporation or balanced fertilisation are crucial. Farmers participating in the "Cotton made in Africa" project are taught the relevant skills in facilities such as "Farmer Field Schools".

PUMA is striving to integrate the idea of eco-efficiency into its product cycle, in order to harmonise business practice and the availability of natural resources. PUMA, for example, was the first sports goods company to ban PVC from its product range. Although PVC has very good technical characteristics, PUMA decided to take this step as the production and disposal of PVC can cause damage to the environment.

Media Contact:
Kerstin Neuber - Corporate Communications - PUMA AG - +49 9132 81 2984 - kerstin.neuber@puma.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 Creativity, SAFE Sustainability and Peace, 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, Mihara Yasuhiro 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