Zalando publishes third Sustainability Progress Report and reflects on three years of do.MORE Strategy
Zalando publishes third Sustainability Progress Report and reflects on three years of do.MORE Strategy
On today's publication of the Sustainability Progress Report, David Schneider, Co-CEO of Zalando SE, reflects on the learnings, challenges and opportunities of the last three years of Zalando's do.MORE Strategy.
On today's publication of the Sustainability Progress Report, David Schneider, Co-CEO of Zalando SE, reflects on the learnings, challenges and opportunities of the last three years of Zalando's do.MORE Strategy.
What are your learnings – not only in the past year but also since the launch of the do.MORE strategy?
When we formulated our do.MORE strategy back in 2019, we had concrete goals and timelines to create an action plan towards achieving our vision. We wanted to accelerate our progress and improve our performance, as well as use our position in the industry to collaborate with our partners in achieving our goals.
As we have progressed on our journey, we have learned that we can achieve a lot. However, we’ve learned that we need to be flexible and responsive as the industry and the world evolve. Although we haven’t achieved all of our targets yet, our vision remains the same: to become a sustainable fashion platform with a net-positive impact for people and the planet.
We have also learned in the past years about our vital position between all our customers and partners across Europe. This creates on the one hand great opportunity to drive change and on the other hand high responsibility. If you want to make a significant impact beyond your own sphere of action, you have to understand the complexity of its nature and its interconnectivity: how the industry works and how much is changing for example through regulatory work.
We have driven a large portfolio of initiatives, some of them succeeded, some of them didn't and we tested ideas in small circles or scaled initiatives jointly with partners. It showed us how much innovation and collaboration is needed for the impact we are aiming for.
Ultimately, we have chosen to adapt very quickly to a changing environment so that we continue to deliver on our customer promises: for example pivoting the customer experience around sustainability claims to both meet higher standards as well as continue to provide an experience of trust and transparency.
What has been the biggest challenge?
Despite our growth, we’ve maintained our startup mentality that has driven our success from the beginning on. We’re constantly challenging ourselves, taking calculated risks and embracing innovation. We’ve driven a large portfolio of initiatives, with varying degrees of success. Through this, we’ve gained valuable knowledge and insights along our journey, which we will not only use to revise our own approach to sustainability and derive new actions but also share with our partners.
We are still absolutely convinced that the key to success is to work hard, be open-minded and never stop learning. That’s why we continue to experiment and refine our approach to sustainable solutions for the fashion industry, always striving for meaningful progress towards a more sustainable future.
What sustainability challenges and opportunities in the fashion industry lie ahead of Zalando?
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 EU’s first circular economy package and related regulations. We welcome these new rules, which will create a more level playing field across our industry. Moreover, they are a sign that regulators see sustainability as a vital element of our future economy. Additionally, finding scalable solutions for the development of sustainable textiles is another challenge that needs to be addressed. At Zalando, we are committed to bringing together different stakeholders in the industry to collectively tackle these challenges. We recognize that this is a journey we must embark on together with our brands and private labels to make a positive impact on the industries’s sustainability practices.
What will play a significant role in promoting sustainability in 2023?
One of our primary focuses for this year is to strengthen our collaboration as we believe that is crucial to drive impact across the industry. At Zalando, we are committed to being part of the solution by collaborating with different partners and sharing experiences and ideas on how to promote sustainability goals. Collaboration also positively recognizes that all industry stakeholders have a role to play. For example the FASHION LEAP for CLIMATE platform, which we launched in partnership with ABOUT YOU and YOOX NET-A-PORTER, supports brands and other fashion companies to learn more about setting their own science based targets. The Circular Design Consortium, which includes H&M, ASOS and Bestseller and is guided by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and supports circularity. We strongly believe that such partnerships are the driving force of progress and only through working together a long-lasting impact is possible.
