BERLIN – Zalando, Europe’s largest online-only fashion retailer, has committed to cut its emissions of carbon dioxide so that it becomes carbon-neutral, to eliminate single-use plastics in packaging and to dramatically increase its sales of sustainably made shoes and garments.
The pledge is part of Zalando’s new sustainability strategy ‘do.MORE’ via which the business said it aims to meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement for its own operations ahead of the agreement’s schedule.
Co-CEO Rubin Ritter said: “The fashion industry is facing sustainability challenges and we know we have been part of the problem. Going forward, our aspiration is to be part of the solution. We see a clear link between acting sustainably and continued commercial success. Only those who incorporate sustainability into their business strategy will stay relevant for their customers and we believe that it will be a competitive advantage in the future.”
Zalando said it has seen online searches for ‘sustainable’ fashion jump 66 per cent in the last year, with sales of items it flags as sustainable rising ten-fold in the last two years.
The business added that it wants to generate 20 per cent of gross merchandise value – sales made on its platform by itself or its partners – from “more sustainable products” by 2023; this equates to about 3-4 billion euros. “We see a lot of demand for these products,” Ritter added.
He also said that by the launch of its 2020 spring/summer collection, Zalando’s ZIGN private label will be repositioned as a ‘sustainable’ brand and flagged as such online, aiming to meet international standards for social, environmental and animal welfare practices.
