Inspiring ESG Trends: Europe Retail & e-Commerce (4th May)

Snapshot of "News you Can Use"

• Amazon (WW), in collaboration with Global Optimism, announces that more than 100 companies are now committed to their "Climate Pledge" including well-known brands like Alaska Airlines, Colgate-Palmolive, HEINEKEN, PepsiCo, Telefónica, and Visa.
• ASOS and DPD (UK) launch a textile recycling initiative, “ReLove”. ASOS customers can donate unwanted clothing to one of five charities: Scope, Marie Curie, British Heart Foundation, British Red Cross or The Children’s Society. DPD will collect the donations and send them onto the charities free of charge.
• H&M (UK, US) launches a “One/Second/Suit” rental service that allows consumers to borrow a suit for free and then return it within 24 hours.
• IKEA (EU) sets aside €4B for wind and solar projects to become climate positive by 2030. Over the last decade, the company has spent €2.5B on wind and solar power and its energy production exceeds the total used at its stores and warehouses.
• JD Sports (UK) partners with trainer reselling platform Sole Responsibility to offer the retailer’s end of the line and slightly damaged stock on eBay, including popular brands such as Adidas, Timberland, Nike and Converse.
• Klarna (WW), in collaboration with Doconomy, launches a “CO2 insights” feature that allows customers to monitor the carbon footprint of their in-app purchases. In parallel, they've also donated $10million to initiatives supporting planet health.
• LVMH (FR) launches a digital platform called “Nona Source” to sell fabric and leather off-cuts at a third of wholesale price to fashion professionals.
• Primark, Next, M&S, John Lewis, and ASOS (UK) sign 10-year voluntary agreement "Textiles 2030" with Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to cut their carbon emissions by 50% and reduce their water footprint by 30% by 2030.
• THG (UK) launches new “recycle:me” program for customers to return used plastic beauty products free of charge to be recycled, regardless of the brand.
• Zalando (WW) expands its “Pre-Owned” scheme to customers in 7 new countries and launches “Second Hand” service in Italy - where, after selling items, customers can choose whether to obtain a Zalando voucher of the corresponding value or to make a donation to charity.

A note from me: In both my day job at Amazon and through my tutoring work with the University of Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership (CISL), I regularly come across interesting and inspiring news about the progress Retail and e-Commerce companies are making on their environmental, social and governance (ESG) journeys. In an effort to share that knowledge, and grow the list of examples that other professional's like myself benefit from having at their finger tips, I thought I'd try out a regular 'news you can use' article here on LinkedIn. I rely on your feedback to tell me whether this is valuable and you would like me to continue producing it. Please comment and also add to this list if there is any positive news you're seeing!