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Of the 62,000 tonnes of packaging materials used in 2022, 86 per cent stemmed from recycled input and 99 per cent was recyclable, the company said in its Sustainability Progress Report 2022.
Zalando has committed to achieving its science-based targets to reduce carbon emissions in line with the Paris Agreement by 2025, including an 80 per cent reduction in emissions from its own operations compared to 2017. By 2023, the company aims to design its packaging to minimise waste and keep materials in use, specifically eliminating single-use plastics.
In 2022, the company conducted a hotspot analysis of their private label product-related emissions. This resulted in a roadmap for switching to more sustainable materials and supporting investment in manufacturing energy efficiency and renewable energy.
In October 2022, the company stopped using single-use plastic void fill in their Zalando Fashion Store shipments. At Lounge by Zalando, they piloted void fill reduction and paper alternatives.
Regarding products, Zalando designed and produced about 775,000 items in line with circular design principles, and grew their sustainability assortment to more than 180,000 products in 2022. Around 54 per cent of Zalando's fashion store customers bought at least one product carrying a sustainability icon.
Zalando's commitment is to generate 25 per cent of their GMV (Gross Merchandise Volume) with more sustainable products by 2023, and to apply the principles of circularity and extend the life of at least 50 million fashion products.
To promote recycling, Zalando has joined Fashion for Good’s ‘Sorting for Circularity’ and is a steering committee member and participant in textile-to-textile cellulosic and polyester recycling trials run by Accelerating Circularity, as per the sustainability report.
In 2022, Zalando shifted their focus to third-party standards and made their sustainability-related product information available through tappable icons representing various sustainability attributes to support their customers.
David Schneider, CEO, said: “For us, sustainability is a journey. In this report, we share our learnings over the past year and reflect how we can use these learnings to continue moving sustainability in the fashion industry forward.
“One of the roadblocks we are facing is the absence of harmonised sustainable standards in fashion. Standards related to product life cycles, supply chain transparency and certifications need to be established. There will be regulatory changes, for example through the European Union’s (EU) first circular economy package and related regulations. We welcome these new rules, which will create a more level playing field across our industry.”
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DP)