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Zalando Sustainability Actions

Published sustainability reports

Zalando has published several sustainability progress reports, including reports for 2021 and 2023, plus a 2024 CSRD digest (CSRD means Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, an EU reporting rule). These reports describe its work on climate, packaging, products, and worker standards. The company says sustainability is built into its wider business strategy and that it uses these reports to show progress and next steps.

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Set science-based climate targets

Zalando says its climate targets were validated by the Science Based Targets initiative, or SBTi. It reports a goal to cut scope 1 and 2 emissions by 55% by 2033 from a 2022 base year, and to cut some scope 3 emissions by 33% in the same period. Scope 1 and 2 cover direct emissions and purchased energy, while scope 3 covers parts of the wider supply chain. It also says it aims for net zero by 2040 for its own operations and private labels, and by 2050 for the rest of its value chain.

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Reduced operational emissions

Zalando says it has already cut scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 80.8% compared with 2017. It also says its private labels lowered greenhouse gas intensity by 36.8% per million euros of gross profit compared with 2018. These figures suggest the company has made real progress in its own operations, although the wider supply chain still matters a lot for its total footprint.

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Improved packaging and plastics

Zalando reports that 82% of the 52,000 tonnes of packaging materials it used came from recycled input, and 99% was recyclable. It also says it cut single-use plastic packaging to 7.4 grams per item shipped, down 26% since 2020. In 2023 it removed void fill in its Fashion Store, which it says avoided about 153 metric tons of plastic waste. It also started moving to polybags made with 100% post-consumer recycled content, meaning plastic that has already been used by consumers and collected for recycling.

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Expanded circular fashion work

Zalando says it is trying to extend the life of fashion products through resale, repair, and better product information. It reports that it has extended the life of more than 6.3 million fashion products since 2020. It also launched a digital product passport in one capsule collection, using a QR code so customers can see where an item was made, how to care for it, and how to repair or trade it in. The company also ran a care-and-repair pilot with Save Your Wardrobe.

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Strengthened worker standards

Zalando says it updated key policies, including its Code of Conduct, Social Standards, Sustainable Sourcing Policy, Animal Welfare Policy, and Product & Content Guidelines. It also added tracking in contract systems so business partners must agree to its Code of Conduct. The company says it carried out a human rights risk assessment across its internal business units and launched an upskilling pilot in its supply chain with Shimmy Technologies and BSR’s HERproject, a programme that supports workers, especially women workers, with skills such as digital literacy and workplace communication.

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Joined Fair Wear Foundation

Zalando says it became a member of the Fair Wear Foundation, an independent non-profit that works to improve labour conditions in clothing supply chains. Fair Wear checks how brands manage human rights due diligence, which means the steps a company takes to find and reduce human rights risks. Zalando says its first Brand Performance Check was carried out in September 2025 and gave it a 'Good' rating with a score of 100 out of 240.

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About Zalando

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