Footwear Insight

8 • Footwear Insight ~ November/December 2022 footwearinsight.com By Bob McGee M any working in the footwear industry feel there has been no "game-changing" progress in sustainability for the footwear sector, and shoe professionals are equally divided over whether the industry is living up to the increased marketing of sustainable footwear. ese are two major findings of the latest FDRA Shoe Sustainability Worker Survey Report 2022. e report, which concludes that sustainability is a priority for brands, but not more than cost, speed-to-market, and quality, concludes that companies are putting more effort into planning, training and resource allocation on sustainability issues today following years of planning, training, and resource allocation. It reveals that many believe their company does a bit better than most in living up to the marketing of sustainability — but the trend is headed in the wrong direction. is speaks to the difficulty many shoe professionals say they have in accomplishing company sustainability goals. Among other key findings in the OrthoLite-sponsored report: • 74% of respondents felt the footwear industry has made some progress on sustainability issue, but not significant. • 54% of respondents said their employer (company) has sus- tainability in its values or mission statement versus 43% in 2021 and 31% in 2020. • 39% said sustainability was a top priority of its department, down from 40% who said so in 2021. • 70% of respondents reported that their company currently tracks and/or reports sustainability measurements. • 79% of those surveyed said their company uses recycled materials today, up from 66% in 2021, a factor the FDRA attributes to wider utilization of its Factory Zero Waste Program. n How Much Sustainability Progress Is the Footwear Industry Making? FDRA SURVEY THE FOOTWEAR EYE T hree major athletic brands— Adidas, Puma, and Under Armour—will begin 2023 with new senior leadership. In early November, Puma and Adidas appointed their new executives. Under Armour is expected to do so by year-end and could end up elevating current interim President and CEO Colin Browne to the posts permanently. He has worked for the Baltimore company for more than six years, starting as the brand's chief supply chain officer. Bjørn Gulden, a 57-year- old Norwegian, will start his new year in the same German town but in a different corporate office. In early November, he opted not to renew his contract with Puma to take on a senior executive role as chairman of the executive board at crosstown rival Adidas AG. Gulden, who is credited with revitalizing Puma as its CEO, takes over at the ree Stripes from Kasper Rorsted who le the company Nov. 11 and was replaced on an interim basis by CFO Harm Ohlmeyer. Gulden, a former professional soccer, and handball player has worked for Adidas before. He was senior VP of apparel and accessories at Adidas from 1992 until 1999. Meanwhile, Puma SE's Supervisory Board has appointed the brand's chief commercial officer, Arne Freundt, 42, to take Gulden's former position as company CEO. In his prior role with e Cat, he oversaw sales, including retail and ecommerce, and logistics. —Bob McGee Executive Shuffle at Puma, Adidas and UA in 2023 LEADERSHIP Bjørn Gulden jumps to Adidas. Arne Freundt takes over at Puma.

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