Zalora rolls out environmental search filters

Customers can now search for eco-friendly products as demand shifts to sustainable commerce.

Zalora has acted on its sustainability strategy by applying a sustainability search filter option for buyers to find ethically and sustainably made goods, according to an announcement.

Products with a low environmental impact will be tagged so customers can search for eco-friendly products.

Zalora says it aims to ensure that 100% of delivery and internal packaging that it procures incorporates sustainable materials by end 2022. It also looks to achieve 100% carbon offset from its operations and transport by end 2025.

By end 2025, the fashion retailer aims to ensure that 50% of its extensive product assortment meets its sustainability criteria, and 30% of active consumers are participating in Circular Fashion initiatives.

To reduce its raw materials impact, it aims to launch a private label capsule made from sustainable materials within 2020, and by the end 2025, sustainable materials are to be used in 40% of its private label products.

Another commitment the firm has is for employees to contribute 20,000 volunteering hours per year by the end 2025.

Speaking at a Retail Asia webinar on 27 April, Gunjan Soni revealed that the majority (54%) of Gen Z shoppers are willing to spend another 10% on sustainable products, with 50% of millennials echoing the same sentiment.

However, the CEO mentioned that despite the need to focus more on sustainability, the retail fashion industry accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions, with 73% of the clothing produced after usage ending up in landfills.

To address this, ZALORA now offers pre-loved items to cater to more conscious individuals and to ignite such an advocacy for the industry. The company is also building a repository of sustainable tagging from materials, processes to sourcing practices, to serve a benchmark for other brands to follow.

As ZALORA aims to seek transparency throughout the entire supply chain, consumers can easily identify and purchase products that incorporate sustainable materials. “We realized that it's just not enough to audit and select or reject some factories, it's also very important to educate and to help them remedy their actions. “Simply put, we want to be the leaders in helping our factories produce correctly,” Gunjan said.

The retailer has partnered with luxury marketplace reseller Style Tribute in Malaysia and Singapore in December 2019, allowing consumers to purchase pre-loved fashion luxury items on ZALORA’s website and mobile app.