Racism has no place at Zalando

At Zalando we want everyone to feel equally valued, heard, and empowered - from our (potential) employees to our partners, models, and customers.

Diverse teams, diverse store and diverse customers

We are proud to be an international and diverse team, with employees from over 130 nations and with a wide variety of backgrounds, be it gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. At Zalando, we believe that style has nothing to do with age, size, or shape. Our 32 million active customers come from 17 European countries, their age ranges from 18 to 80, and they all have different backgrounds. As the starting point for fashion, we want to offer them the best assortment for all of their individual needs. That's why inclusive marketing campaigns and a diverse team of models are as important to us as a wide range of products in our store. 70 percent of the models we regularly work with have a diverse background. Just one look at our website makes this clear.

Our Code of Ethics

Our Code of Ethics lays down clear expectations for our conduct towards each other, but also towards our customers, brands, and other partners. Our anti-discrimination and compliance teams are always available for confidential discussions and advice. They immediately investigate all reported cases of Code violations and take appropriate action. We also offer a protected whistleblowing tool for anonymous reports.

Our Diversity Strategy

We are fully aware that our efforts to promote diversity and integration are a journey and that we have not yet reached the destination. In 2018, we signed the Diversity Charter to underpin our commitment to promoting an inclusive working environment. In the same year, we also launched our first Diversity and Inclusion Strategy. Our Diversity & Inclusion team is continuously developing it in close collaboration with our employees. 

As an important milestone within this process, in autumn 2019 we officially set the target for balanced gender representation in management, including the Management Board and the Supervisory Board. We will make our progress transparent in an annual Diversity Report that will cover all aspects of diversity at Zalando. As announced in October 2019, the first Report will be published this autumn. 

Employee engagement and commitment

Our employees drive many diversity, equality and inclusion projects in our company. The Diversity Guild and eight other employee-organized groups promote diversity and inclusion throughout the company and strengthen the feeling of belonging and mutual support. Our Employee Resource Groups also play an essential role in advising managers and helping Zalando make more informed decisions related to our corporate culture. Together with the Diversity Guild, the Zalando LGBTQI+ community has, for example, organized a Pride Month and Christopher Street Day campaign in 2019. 

Celebrating diversity of our customers

With our brand positioning "Free To Be" we want to inspire our customers to be themselves and express their own unique style. We kicked off this year with the marketing campaign "Goodbye Stereotypes. Hello Zerotypes" which tackled stereotypes as one of the biggest obstacles to diversity and freedom. The campaign encouraged people to say goodbye to outdated stereotypes and to express their true selves through fashion. For us, Zerotypes stands for the belief that people should be free to be who they are and not confined to one idea, type, expectation, or limit.

In the future, Zalando will continue to make it its mission to constantly improve diversity in all areas of the company and to help shape a fashion world where everyone feels welcome.