Zalando publishes sustainability progress report

German online fashion retailer, Zalando, has released its latest Sustainability Progress Report, which details the efforts it has done to achieve its eco-goals and what it expects to do in the future.

The e-tailer first laid out its ambitions in 2019, with the goal of being a net-positive fashion platform through its Do.More strategy, which listed six objectives to be met between 2023 and 2025.

The retailer is now seeing results from the early goals, according to Kate Heiny, the company’s director of sustainability, who provided her perspective on the report on the company’s website. She said that she thinks the company’s transparency will aid others in bringing about positive change.

Zalando is eager to move on from establishing its foundation and progress toward fresh goals now that it has reached the halfway point.

One area where it has begun to thrive is in Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV). In comparison to its initial aim of achieving 25% of GMV from more sustainable products by 2023, the corporation is presently at 21.6 percent, a 35 percent increase over last year.

Its most difficult goal appears to be extending the life of 50 million clothes by 2023, for which it has only reached 2.3 million units. This, it claims, is due in part to the delayed development of recycling technology and the long time it takes to execute its circular design standards.

Another aspect highlighted in Zalando’s research is the packaging. After reducing polybags, the company reported that it eliminated 69 tonnes of single-use plastics in 2021. Although completely eliminating the bags has proven difficult, the company has turned its attention to paper shipping bags, which it claims will make a substantial contribution to its efforts.