Reducing carbon emissions with Meg Greenhouse

At the core of our sustainability strategy, do.MORE, are measurable and science-aligned goals across the categories of planet, product and people, which we have set out to complete between 2023 and 2025.

Throughout 2021, acting on our vision to become a fashion platform with a net-positive impact for people and the planet remained a top priority for us. This can be seen in our second standalone Sustainability Progress Report 2021 where we share our learnings and insights with the progress we’ve made over the last two years.

We’ve built important foundations regarding some dimensions like carbon footprint, packaging, ethical standards, skilling, circularity, and assortment, while we’re still in testing mode on others. Our ambition is to lead change and move the fashion industry forward.

In this article we talk with Meg Greenhouse, SVP Zalando Technology Foundation, about the work she and her team are leading at Zalando in regards to reducing carbon emissions.

As a sponsor of “Reducing carbon emissions,” which achievement are you most proud of and why?

There have been two exceptional achievements.

First of all, we reduced our energy emissions across Zalando’s facilities by introducing solar panels and switching the heating fuel in our German fulfillment centers to 100% biogas, which is awesome.

Then, we implemented an outreach program. We contacted some of our largest brand partners with the biggest carbon footprints and proposed they set up science-based emissions targets, which most of them agreed to. This is big news as the only way we can make a difference is if we work together to measure our collective impact so we can make positive changes.

All of this work helps us achieve our targets, sets us on the right course with brand and logistics partners, and makes the whole community work together. This group effort is something I’m really proud of.

What is your team currently working on to contribute to our sustainability goals?

The Zalando Technology Foundation team is the employee-focused tech team. We work on the technology that our employees use to do their work. When it comes to capturing carbon emissions, we’re working on becoming the central hub of the reporting and data gathered throughout the business — from the warehouses through to our private label brands’ production.

Our business is so big and diverse and our metrics stretch across so many different pillars that the only way we can make a difference is to measure the data, understand it, and then report on it. The impact of all of this will be stored through something we call the ‘Central Sustainability Lakehouse,’ which will function like a back of house engine.

As a team, we’ve also ensured that all of the hardware that we source for employees is provided by vendors who meet our sustainability requirements. If they don’t live up to our criteria, we won’t use them.

What’s the next milestone that you’re most excited about and why?

We are constantly assessing where we can introduce more sustainable practices when it comes to our private labels’ supply chains. And in 2021, as part of offsetting our carbon footprint, we began to invest in planting trees and reforestation, through a collaboration with Land Life Company, with the aim of planting 300,000 trees.

Planting trees and giving back to the forest helps to re-balance things and contributes to building for the future.

It makes me feel good knowing that we are doing that. Internally, we are not as vocal about our initiatives because we live our core value of “purpose first, ego second” But, when you have time to sit down and list out all of what we are doing, it is pretty awesome to discover what we’re up to. It embodies the Zalando spirit.

If you enjoyed this interview and feel inspired to learn more, then please find our 2021 Sustainability Progress Report here.
You can also visit our Sustainability hub here and check out open positions on our careers site here.