Aims to upcycle apparel and footwear for rural communities

 Bangalore, India, August 22, 2019 – Global sports company PUMA is partnering with Goonj, an award-winning India based non-profit specializing in using urban surplus to trigger grassroots development work. In an effort to promote a circular economy, PUMA is encouraging its customers to contribute any of their gently used apparel and footwear at PUMA stores and on PUMA.com between August 22 – September 10.

 For this initiative, collection boxes will be set up at over 360 exclusive PUMA stores across the country. Consumers also have an option to arrange for a pick up by submitting a simple request form on PUMA.com. For every contribution made in-store or online, they will be gratified with PUMA gift vouchers. At the end of the campaign, the collection will be consolidated and dropped at Goonj’s Processing Centers across India where Goonj teams will put the material through a rigorous process of sorting, segregating, repairing and packing. Customized kits will then be prepared for specific local needs of people in different parts of the country – like Family Kits, School Kits, Rahat Disaster Relief Kit, Aaganwadi Kit, Labour Kit and Menstural Dignity kits. In the remote rural villages, these kits will act as a mobilizing and motivating tool to reward people who work on their own issues like building a bamboo bridge, digging a well, building community spaces etc.

 Abhishek Ganguly, Managing Director, PUMA India shares, “We are happy to partner with Goonj towards their efforts to uplift rural communities. This initiative gives us a great platform to collaborate with our consumers to crowdsource essentials like apparel and footwear. We will continue to actively be a part of the circular economy and encourage more people to make a conscious choice towards sustainable living.”

 Anshu Gupta, Founder Director, Goonj says, “This partnership with Puma, presents a great example of how different entities can collaborate to bring awareness on the development issues and how by creating such platforms, people from all across get a chance to participate. We hope the customers take this as an opportunity not for clearing old material but by giving only what can be used as more than the giving, mindful giving matters. And at Goonj, recipient does not get it as charity, but it is given in a very dignified manner.”