FAQ | ZALANDO SUSTAINABILITY PRODUCT STANDARDS Last Update: December 2024 Audience: Zalando partner-facing teams and partners This document answers the most frequently asked questions raised by our brand partners or colleagues regarding our product sustainability updates (i.e. criteria & updated ‘Product Standards’). Mandatory Sustainability Requirements 1. What sustainability minimum requirements apply to products selling on Zalando? 2. What is the process for ensuring that my products comply with the requirements outlined in these policies? 3. What are some examples of documentation that I may be asked to provide to prove that my products meet your sourcing requirements? 4. What has changed in version 3.0 of the Sustainable Sourcing & Animal Welfare policy? Sustainability Product Standards: Voluntary Criteria Upcoming Changes in Q2 2025 1. What is changing in the Sustainability Product Standards criteria for 2025 and what is the reason for these changes? 2. When will these changes start to apply and what should I expect? 3. What certifications and trademarked or licensed materials are being removed, and why? 4. What certifications and trademarked or licensed materials are being added? 5. Why are component-based claims being phased out in Q2 2025? 6. What minimum percentage thresholds are changing and why? 7. How are the Beauty & Personal Care criteria changing for Q2 2025? 8. Why will Cruelty-Free attributes be removed from the Sustainability Product Standard criteria and will ‘Cruelty Free’ product attributes still be possible in the customer experience? Fashion, Footwear & Accessories: Certifications, Trademarked & Licensed Materials 9. Which certifications and raw material trademarks or licences are accepted until Q2 2025? 10. How do I know if I have the required certifications, trademarks or licences for my articles? 11. Why is the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) not listed as an accepted sourcing program? 12. Are Brands required to be certified to the Textile Exchange standards in order to make product-specific claims showing the logo? 13. Our Brand is not GRS certified, but many materials we use are GRS certified. Can we highlight our products in the Fashion Store? 14. In order to claim "Organic materials” for my product what certification level is required, and what kind of documentation needs to be available to prove the claim? 15. In the Full Guide, there’s an example of “minimum 50% GOTS certified in the product”. However, GOTS requires a minimum of 70% for the claim.Is this correct? 16. To claim "recycled materials", what certification level is required, and what kind of documentation needs to be available to prove the claim? 17. Can I claim that a product has sustainability-related attributes if it’s made from natural fibers/materials like linen, silk, hemp, or ramie? 18. Will upcycling be added to your criteria in the future? 19. What requirements do you have for leather? Does the leather have to be from specific countries or treated in a certain way? Does it have to have a Leather Working Group certificate? 20. Is genuine leather considered as an organic product? Do we need an official certification to highlight this in the Fashion Store? Beauty & Personal Care: Certifications 21. What part of a beauty product is eligible for FSC certification? 22. Why has Zalando set a minimum percentage requirement for ‘Natural Ingredients’ attribute claims? 23. Why is a minimum of 50% required for Organic Ingredients and Recycled Materials claims? 24. Why does Zalando accept a “brand declaration” for ‘Refillable’ attribute claims and not for other standards? Article Sustainability Data Sharing 25. Where can I find more information about the data requirements and data sharing process if I want my products to be highlighted with sustainability-related information? 26. If I want to have a third party logo (such as GOTS Organic) shown next to my product, what data must I provide to Zalando? 27. What is the difference in the data sharing process for Wholesale and Partner Program/zDirect? 28. Is it obligatory to provide sustainability data for my articles, and until when do I have to provide it? 29. How will I be informed if I completed the data sharing process but don’t see the sustainability information on my product? 30. What are some examples of missing data or rejections? 31. Will the data collection methods provide real time validation that all sustainability criteria are being met? 32. My Brand has a sustainability certification that is not listed. What can I do? 33. What if I don’t have all the data that is now required? 34. When do I need to provide “certificate number” and “testing institute” data to Zalando? 35. Who can I contact if I have urgent questions on the sustainability process or criteria? Sustainability Customer Experience 36. Why did Zalando update the experience for highlighting products with sustainability-related attributes on the fashion store? 37. Does this mean the “sustainability icon” is no longer being used? 38. What is the primary focus of the new EU legislation that is impacting the way we communicate about products with sustainability-related attributes? 39. How will customers be able to find products with sustainability attributes in our webshop? 40. Can I highlight only one of the sustainability attributes of my product or multiple? 41. Does Zalando accept B-Corp or other Brand certifications as an attribute? 42. How do partners benefit from highlighting their articles with sustainability ‘product standard’ attributes? 43. How does Zalando inform and educate customers about products with sustainability attributes? 44. How can I get started to showcase my sustainability-related product attributes on Zalando? 45. How often do you update the Sustainability Product Standards? Glossary of terms Mandatory Sustainability Requirements 1. What sustainability minimum requirements apply to products selling on Zalando? In order to sell on our platform, all partners are required to meet Zalando’s Sustainability Product Standards requirements. These include ensuring that all products and content provided from the partner complies with current European standards and legislation, and with Zalando’s Sustainability requirements as outlined in the following policies: ● Code of Conduct ● Product and Content guidelines ● Sustainable Sourcing & Animal Welfare policy ● Forest Protection policy ● Restricted substance list 2. What is the process for ensuring that my products comply with the requirements outlined in these policies? When placing orders and/or onboarding your articles to Zalando the relevant teams may ask for documentation or evidence to verify that the requirements listed in our policies are fulfilled. Partners are expected to provide such documentation upon request, and if the requirements are fulfilled the article will be onboarded to the Fashion Store or Lounge. 3. What are some examples of documentation that I may be asked to provide to prove that my products meet your sourcing requirements? Depending on the specific requirement we may ask for documentation to verify that your product complies with our policies and all regulatory requirements. For an overview of sourcing-related evidence we may ask for to ensure your products are compliant, please refer to the Sustainable Sourcing & Animal Welfare Policy. 4. What has changed in version 3.0 of the Sustainable Sourcing & Animal Welfare policy? In June 2025 Zalando merged the Sustainable Sourcing Policy and the Animal Welfare Policy into one combined policy. This policy details the comprehensive product requirements related to environmental, ethical and animal welfare topics, and also provides details regarding the specific evidence that Business Partners may be asked to provide upon request, to ensure their products are compliant with the policy. Finally, the policy also includes ambitions for Business Partners, outlining the ways in which Zalando encourages sustainable and circular improvements and industry engagement. With this update of the policy we are also introducing a new requirement: in 2027 Zalando will prohibit the use of PVC (poly vinyl chloride) in products due to the negative environmental effects of this material. More details regarding the specific uses/types of PVC and the timeline for the ban to take effect will be shared with Business Partners in the Autumn 2025 partner update. Sustainability Product Standards: Voluntary Criteria Upcoming Changes in Q2 2025 1. What is changing in the Sustainability Product Standards criteria for 2025 and what is the reason for these changes? The voluntary Product Standards criteria are key for highlighting our partners’ efforts to reduce the environmental impact of products and enabling Zalando to showcase compliant, trustworthy sustainability-related attributes to our shared customers. After a review of these criteria we have decided to implement the following changes from mid to end of Q2 (exact date to be announced). ● Removal of 9+ certifications, licensed and trademark materials ● Addition of 5+ new certifications, licensed and trademark materials ● Phasing out of component-based claims (i.e. transitioning all categories to full product sustainability-related claims, including footwear, outerwear, and accessories) ● Raising the minimum percentage thresholds for some attribute groups (i.e. increasing the amount of certified material required per item for a sustainability-related product attribute to be eligible). These changes will help to ensure that sustainability-related attributes shown through the Product Standards customer experience are both compliant and trustworthy, supporting our continued progress towards our sustainability goals. 2. When will these changes start to apply and what should I expect? Implementation of the new criteria on Zalando’s customer experience is underway as of June 2025 and will be fully implemented by July 1. From this point onwards we will stop accepting the old criteria and the sustainability-related product claims in the Fashion store that we showcase will only be based on the new criteria. 3. What certifications and trademarked or licensed materials are being removed, and why? The following certifications and materials will be removed from the voluntary criteria for Fashion, Footwear, and Accessories: ○ Lyocell (generic) ○ Supreme Green Cotton® ○ Other Remanufacturing/ Recycling Process These certificates, trademarks or labels are being removed from the voluntary criteria due to a lack of governance, traceability or environmental management systems being in place. To ensure that the information shared with our customers is accurate, trustworthy and compliant we will phase these certificates and labels out in Q2 2025. We encourage partners to assess if their affected articles can transition to alternative certifications and, if so, to prepare this data for submission to Zalando. For Beauty and Personal Care, the certificates being removed in Q2 2025 are outlined here 4. What certifications and trademarked or licensed materials are being added? The following certifications and materials will be added for Fashion, Footwear & Accessories: ● Bloom™ ● Sustainable Fibre Alliance (SFA) Cashmere ● Good Earth Cotton® ● Cotton Made in Africa - Organic ● CYCLO® Recycled Fibres ● Re&Up ● Circular Design Criteria by circular.fashion 5. Why are component-based claims being phased out in Q2 2025? Since 2022 Zalando has communicated its intention to transition all sustainability-related product attributes to full product (weight-based) claim types. This shift aligns with the wider European legislative landscape, reporting needs and product environmental measurement methods. For example, legislation such as CSRD already requires Zalando to report on the use of sustainable and recycled materials in products (rather than individual components of a product). As we prepare for other upcoming regulations such as ESPR we also foresee this being the direction of travel. Additionally, Zalando aims to integrate the use of sustainable materials in partner’s products into our own carbon accounting methodology or product environmental impact measurements. This requires data on sustainable materials for the entire product (rather than just individual components of a product). We recognize that collecting data for multi-component products such as footwear, outerwear, and accessories may present challenges due to the complexity of sourcing information for all components. Over the coming months, we will be seeking best practices from our partners who are already successfully collecting this data and making full product (weight-based) attribute claims, and we aim to share these best practices with our partners. 6. What minimum percentage thresholds are changing and why? From Q2 2025, the following minimum percentage thresholds will apply for textile products and multi-component products (e.g. Footwear, Outerwear, Accessories). These thresholds refer to the amount of certified material a product must contain to be eligible for a sustainability-related attribute in the Fashion Store. Attribute Textile Products - full product claims Multi-Component Products- full product claims (Footwear, Outerwear, Accessories) Current min. % New min. % from Q2 25’ Current min. % New min. % from Q2 25’ Organic Material 50% No change 20% No change Organic In-transition material 50% No change 20% Recycled Material ** 30% No change 20% Biobased Material 20% 50% 20% Leather Alternative (Mylo, Pinatex, etc) 20% 50% 20% Leather Alternative (Water-based PU) 50% No change 20% Regeneratively-grown Material 20% 50% 20% Certified Wool 5% 30% 20% Certified Down 5% 30% 20% Cotton (Farming Standard) 50% No change 20% Forest-based Material 50% No change 20% Wood-based Material 50% No change 20% bluesign approved Material 50% No change 20% Leather (production standard) 50% No change 20% Certified forest-based Material 50% No change 20% Designed for circularity N/A N/A N/A N/A The highlighted attribute groups will have their minimum percentage thresholds increased to ensure that the product attributes showcased by Zalando to customers are both accurate and impactful, delivering meaningful environmental benefits. Beauty & Personal Care minimum % requirements are outlined here 7. How are the Beauty & Personal Care criteria changing for Q2 2025? The following certificates will be removed from the Product Standards criteria: Attribute Group Certificates being removed Rationale & Partner Action Natural Ingredients ● BDIH (Cosmos Natural) ● ICEA (Cosmos Natural) Phasing out the certifications which are equivalent to the ‘ COSMOS Natural’ standard and included the certification body (i.e. ICEA, BDIH) in the name. Any articles using the BDIH or ICEA certificates can be re-tagged with the ‘COSMOS Natural’ certificate which is equivalent. Partners can adjust the sustainability data they provide to Zalando from Q1 (date to be announced). Organic Ingredients ● ECOCERT(COSMOS ORGANIC) ● ICEA (Cosmos Organic) ● NATRUE (Organic) ● Soil Association (Organic) Phasing out the certifications which are equivalent to the ‘ COSMOS Organic’ standard. Any articles using the ICEA, NATRUE or Soil Association certificates can be re-tagged with the ‘COSMOS Organic’ certificate which is equivalent. Partners can adjust the sustainability data they provide to Zalando from Q1 (date to be announced). Recycled Packaging ● Other Remanufacturing/Recycling Processes This label lacks traceability that is needed to ensure compliance of sustainability-related claims. Partners using recycled materials in their primary packaging can review other accepted certifications in the criteria and determine if their articles are eligible for one of these. For Beauty there will be no changes to the minimum percentage requirements: Attribute Beauty & Personal Care Current min. % Min. % from Q2 2025 Organic Ingredients 50% No change Recycled Packaging 50% No change Forest-based Material 100% No change Natural Ingredients 95% No change Refillable N/A No change 8. Why will Cruelty-Free attributes be removed from the Sustainability Product Standard criteria and will ‘Cruelty Free’ product attributes still be possible in the customer experience? Although a product may be Cruelty-Free certified, it does not mean that it is necessarily more sustainable. A Cruelty-Free product could contain up to 30% petroleum-derived ingredients and still be classified as Vegan or Cruelty-Free. Therefore, Zalando will remove the Cruelty-Free certifications from the Sustainability Product Standards criteria and customer experience. However, cruelty Free attribute claims will still be visible to customers on the Beauty product detail page. This update for Cruelty Free attribute claims will not require changes to article data collection processes for Beauty partners and is expected to take place in Q1 2025 (exact date to be announced). More details on how these claims are changing and how they will appear will be shared with Beauty partners shortly. Fashion, Footwear & Accessories: Certifications, Trademarked & Licensed Materials 9. Which certifications and raw material trademarks or licences are accepted until Q2 2025? Please refer to the Sustainability Product Standards at Zalando: Full Guide (Section 1) for the accepted certifications, trademarks or licences associated with the material, fibre or technology in question. 10. How do I know if I have the required certifications, trademarks or licences for my articles? Please check the Sustainability Product Standards at Zalando: Full Guide (Section 2-3) for the criteria, required certification level and minimum percentage per trademark/ standard/ program. 11. Why is the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) not listed as an accepted sourcing program? Better Cotton is an important, foundational part of many brands’ sustainable sourcing strategies and has significantly contributed to making the cotton industry more sustainable. However, Better Cotton is not physically traceable to a specific product because it uses a Mass Balance system. While this system is effective for scaling sustainable cotton, it also means that it is impossible to claim whether sustainable cotton is physically present in a product viewed or purchased by a Zalando customer. Not only is Zalando a member of BCI, it is also an active participant in the BCI traceability working group. We continue to support BCI’s efforts to improve global cotton production for both the environment and the people involved in its production. 12. Are Brands required to be certified to the Textile Exchange standards in order to make product-specific claims showing the logo? Yes, as ofApril 2023, Textile Exchange requires full chain of custody certification for brands making product-specific claims. If both the product and the brand are certified, Zalando can display the certification details, including the logo and license number. If only the fabric or material is certified, then the Textile Exchange standard, logo and certificate details would not appear next to the product, as this is prohibited. Instead, a general description such as "organic material" will be shown. Please refer to section 2 (our sustainability-related product standards requirements) for all detailed requirements. 13. Our Brand is not GRS certified, but many materials we use are GRS certified. Can we highlight our products in the Fashion Store? Yes, this is possible. For GRS certification, Zalando accepts the Material/Component fabrication level as the minimum certification level. With Material/Component fabrication certification level, your article will fulfill Zalando's Level 1 requirement. For further clarification on the difference between Level 1 and Level 2 requirements, please refer to Section 2 (our sustainability-related product standards requirements) in the Full Guide 14. In order to claim "Organic materials” for my product what certification level is required, and what kind of documentation needs to be available to prove the claim? Please refer to the detailed requirements for organic materials in Section 3 (Product data requirements) and the additional documentation requirements per standard in Section 5 (Additional guidance) in the Full Guide 15. In the Full Guide, there’s an example of “minimum 50% GOTS certified in the product”. However, GOTS requires a minimum of 70% for the claim.Is this correct? Zalando has set a minimum of 50% organic content in a product or material for the claim to be valid. This content must be certified and evidenced with a complete chain of custody. If the attribute being claimed also meets a standard setter’s own minimum threshold (e.g. 70% GOTS), the standards setters logo and additional certification details will also be displayed to the customer. For more information, refer to our Full Guide 16. To claim "recycled materials", what certification level is required, and what kind of documentation needs to be available to prove the claim? At a minimum, Zalando requires certification up to the fabric/component manufacturer for all recycled material claims. However, you must also be able to prove this material was used in the finished product, for example, by providing a Bill of Materials (BOM) and Purchase Order specification. For additional details, refer to our Full Guide 17. Can I claim that a product has sustainability-related attributes if it’s made from natural fibers/materials like linen, silk, hemp, or ramie? Currently, only fibres that are certified, licensed or trademarked are part of Zalando's Sustainability Framework. Conventional natural fibres are not considered as more sustainable by Zalando at this time. However, once a standardised LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) methodology is established, the scope may be expanded if the environmental impact reduction of these fibers is confirmed. 18. Will upcycling be added to your criteria in the future? We are continuously evaluating ways to broaden our criteria to include all the remarkable work being done across supply chains. At present, we don’t see sufficient scale or certification in the upcycling sector. As a result, upcycled products are reviewed on a case-by-case basis for marketing campaigns, but they are not currently included in the Product Standards framework. 19. What requirements do you have for leather? Does the leather have to be from specific countries or treated in a certain way? Does it have to have a Leather Working Group certificate? Please refer to the Leather & Animal Skin section in our Sustainable Sourcing Policy for all mandatory requirements related to leather products. 20. Is genuine leather considered as an organic product? Do we need an official certification to highlight this in the Fashion Store? For organic materials, Zalando only accepts materials certified by third party standards including GOTS Organic, GOTS Made with Organic, Organic Content Standard 100, Organic Content Standard Blended. Other accepted certifications applicable to Leather, such as Leather Working Group (LWG), can be found in the Full Guide Beauty & Personal Care: Certifications 21. What part of a beauty product is eligible for FSC certification? The FSC certification is not accepted for a product's primary or secondary packaging. We accept this certification only for beauty accessories made of wood, rubber or cork e.g. a hairbrush, makeup brush handle, etc. For more details, see Section 2 (Product data requirements) in the Full Guide 22. Why has Zalando set a minimum percentage requirement for ‘Natural Ingredients’ attribute claims? Historically, the term “natural” was not regulated. Manufacturers could claim that their product is natural without any substantiation. We aim to ensure that products marked as “natural” genuinely meet the definition. A minimum of 90% natural ingredients ensures that the product is predominantly natural, with the remaining 10% consisting of stabilizers to preserve the ingredients. 23. Why is a minimum of 50% required for Organic Ingredients and Recycled Materials claims? It is challenging to create Beauty and Personal Care products with 100% organic ingredients or recycled materials due to increasing demand and limited availability of certain ingredients in organic form. Therefore, Zalando accepts a minimum of 50% for both attribute groups. 24. Why does Zalando accept a “brand declaration” for ‘Refillable’ attribute claims and not for other standards? Currently, there is no third-party certification for the "Refillable" attribute in Beauty and Personal Care products. Hence, Zalando accepts a brand declaration . Upon request, Zalando may ask you to provide evidence proving that the product’s primary packaging is designed to be refilled, and that refills are offered to customers as part of a circular economy initiative. Article Sustainability Data Sharing 25. Where can I find more information about the data requirements and data sharing process if I want my products to be highlighted with sustainability-related information? Please refer to section 4 in our Full Guide for more information about our data sharing process. 26. If I want to have a third party logo (such as GOTS Organic) shown next to my product, what data must I provide to Zalando? To display a third-party logo (e.g., GOTS Organic) on your product page, you must provide a complete set of transaction and scope certificates in line with the certification requirements, ensuring a full chain of custody. This includes certificates for both the brand and the product. You are also required to share the brand scope certification number and testing institute (i.e certification body) with Zalando. For further information, see the Full Guide 27. What is the difference in the data sharing process for Wholesale and Partner Program/zDirect? Process for Wholesale: Brand partners are responsible for filling out the Article Master Data Sheet (AMD) for their wholesale products. Products can not receive a sustainability attribute unless all required information is provided in the AMDs. Information entered into the AMDs is a self-declaration . Please ensure you have all the relevant documentation to hand to prove your product claims, as this is required on request. Please refer to section 4 (How to share the required product data) in our Full Guide Process for Partner Program/zDirect: Brand partners must input product information into their chosen integrator tool for products hosted on Zalando. Information entered into these tools is a self-declaration . Please ensure you have all the relevant documentation on hand to prove your product claims, as this is required on request. For specific questions or assistance with integrator tools, please reach out to the Partner Care team via our contact form Please see section 4 (How to share the required product data) in our Full Guide for more details. 28. Is it obligatory to provide sustainability data for my articles, and until when do I have to provide it? Providing sustainability information is currently voluntary. However, please note that this is an important part of our commercial & environmental strategy at Zalando. We observe strong trends towards more sustainable purchasing behaviour by our customers, and adding this information can have a positive influence on your product's visibility and conversion rate. Additionally, using preferred, more sustainable fibres and materials may help to reduce environmental impacts of your products, and align with your brand’s and Zalando’s sustainability goals. Please find more detail on our corporate strategy here For new products, we recommend providing sustainability data as early as possible, ideally before sample delivery and photo production. 29. How will I be informed if I completed the data sharing process but don’t see the sustainability information on my product? Reasons for which your article may not have achieved a sustainability attribute, or examples of missing data, can be found in the question below. For more details about why your specific articles may have been rejected from receiving a sustainability icon and information, please reach out to your counterpart in the Category Operations or Partner Care team via our contact form 30. What are some examples of missing data or rejections? Examples of missing data: ● No sustainability attribute selected ● No percentage of sustainability attribute provided ● No certification level provided when a third-party certificate has been selected ● No certificate number or testing institute provided when a third-party certificate is selected ● No selection of whether the attribute applied to the full product or a component Examples why a sustainability attribute is not achieved: ● Minimum percentage for the sustainability attribute is not achieved ● The required certification level for a third-party certificate is not achieved ● The partner has stated the attribute applies to a component, but their product category is not eligible 31. Will the data collection methods provide real time validation that all sustainability criteria are being met? No. While we do aim to improve our data collection methods over time, they are currently only capable of notifying the partner when data is missing, but do not validate whether all criteria are achieved (e.g. min. percentage, level of certification, etc.). 32. My Brand has a sustainability certification that is not listed. What can I do? When entering sustainability information for your articles, you must select from one of the accepted certifications, trademarks or licensed fibres ( see details in our Full Guide ). We regularly review the Product Standards criteria and aim to increase our standards incrementally. If you have feedback on our criteria or the process, please contact productsustainability@zalando.de. 33. What if I don’t have all the data that is now required? If the required data can not be completely provided to Zalando, a sustainability attribute cannot be applied to the product. We understand that collecting sustainability data from your supply chain is not always easy. However, given the increasingly stringent legislative landscape across Europe, the industry needs to find better solutions to collect, share, and analyse data to ensure compliance and improve the customer experience. Zalando is committed to sharing best practices with partners as more resources, guidance, and tools become available. 34. When do I need to provide “certificate number” and “testing institute” data to Zalando? These data points are only necessary to provide to Zalando when you fulfil the applicable Level 2 requirements, as outlined in Section 3 (Product data requirements) of the Full Guide 1. Your brand is certified to the relevant standard (e.g. You hold a Scope Certificate for your brand) 2. Your article fulfils the Level 2: minimum percentage required 3. The final product is also certified to the standard (e.g. you hold a Transaction Certificate). Only once these conditions are fulfilled can Zalando showcase the certificate and logo in the customer experience. Therefore, these data points should be provided to Zalando. 35. Who can I contact if I have urgent questions on the sustainability process or criteria? For detailed information, please refer to our Full Guide . If your question remains unanswered, please contact your primary contact at Zalando. For questions related to data collection, tagging, or the process: ● For wholesale products, contact your Category Operations counterpart. ● For partner program/zDirect, email qa-ecm@zalando.de. Sustainability Customer Experience 36. Why did Zalando update the experience for highlighting products with sustainability-related attributes on the fashion store? According to our research , every second customer does not understand what sustainability means in a fashion context, highlighting the need for clearer and more trustworthy product information. This is also reinforced by EU legislation , which is setting industry-wide standards for sustainability communication. In April 2024, we evolved the sustainability customer experience to improve the clarity and precision of product sustainability-related information. We want to ensure that customers have access to additional product attributes based on third-party credentials. As part of this update, we introduced the ‘Product Standards’ framework. The term ‘Product Standards’ is not in direct relation to the umbrella term “sustainability”, as no product can be considered fully sustainable. However, since product standards are critical to customers, we want to make them visible. Therefore, we are replacing the former sustainability icons with updated attribute groups, which will be visible through the filter search and the Product Detail Page (PDP). While the PDP remains the main place for sharing detailed product information, we no longer use the “sustainability” umbrella term. For more details, see Section 1 (Get to know: Sustainability product standards at Zalando) in the Full Guide 37. Does this mean the “sustainability icon” is no longer being used? Yes, from April 2024, we stopped showing the “sustainability icons”(e.g., icons representing attributes like Organic or Recycled materials). These icons have been replaced with the updated ‘Product Standards’ framework, which identifies products with sustainability attributes based on third-party certifications (e.g., Organic material, Wood-based material). Customers can now filter by product standard and find an overview of relevant information on these product standards on the Product Details Page (PDP). A summary of these standards will also be accessible to customers on the ‘About Product Standards’ page. For more details, see Section 1 (Get to know: Sustainability product standards at Zalando) in the Full Guide 38. What is the primary focus of the new EU legislation that is impacting the way we communicate about products with sustainability-related attributes? EU legislation aims at protecting consumers from being misled and creating a level playing field. Recently, European authorities have introduced more specific guidance on sustainability claims that impact all brands and retailers operating in Europe. As a result, Zalando, in collaboration with the European Commission, is adopting a more transparent and standardized approach to sustainability communication. Therefore, we have replaced the “sustainability icons” and the umbrella term ‘sustainability’ with new attribute groups. This means that all product sustainability-related information will be available in the PDP, but there will no longer be visual icons on the product images in the catalogue. More information about the legislation can be found here 39. How will customers be able to find products with sustainability attributes in our webshop? Sustainability-related certifications, trademarks, or licensed materials will be highlighted on the PDP to help customers better understand what their products are made of. These materials and certifications are then grouped by so-called “attribute groups” (listed below). These attribute groups are designed to help customers filter the product catalogue, and further information on the attribute group will be visible in the Product Detail Page. The attribute groups include: Fashion/Footwear/Accessories: ● Organic material ● Recycled material ● Forest-based material ● Bio-based material ● Organic in-transition material ● Cotton (farming standard) ● Designed for Circularity ● Bluesign® approved material ● Certified wool ● Certified down ● Wood-based material ● Regeneratively grown material ● Leather (production standard) ● Leather alternative Beauty and Personal Care ● Organic Ingredients ● Refillable ● Recycled packaging ● Natural ingredients ● Cruelty Free ● Forest-based material Please find more information in our Full Guide 40. Can I highlight only one of the sustainability attributes of my product or multiple? Currently, the product information and catalog filter only allow one sustainability product standard per product (e.g., GOTS organic certification). If your product meets more than one of the listed certifications, trademarks or licences, and fulfils all other requirements listed in the Full Guide , please select one attribute you would like to showcase on the Fashion Store. We are working on enabling multiple attributes per product in the future and will notify partners once this becomes available. 41. Does Zalando accept B-Corp or other Brand certifications as an attribute ? Certification of brands, such as B-Corp, is something Zalando is looking to support in the future. However, it is not currently included, as our framework focuses on product-specific attributes rather than brand attributes. In exceptional cases, Zalando may highlight B-Corp-certified brands through marketing campaigns or editorial content, but this information will not appear in the Product Standards experience on the PDP (Product Detail Page). For a full list of accepted sourcing programs, standards, and trademarks, see here 42. How do partners benefit from highlighting their articles with sustainability ‘product standard’ attributes? ● Improve compliance with EU legislation, which demands more integrity and accuracy when highlighting sustainability product standards. ● Respond to customers’ increasing demand for greater transparency and detailed sustainability product information. 43. How does Zalando inform and educate customers about products with sustainability attributes? Zalando highlights products that meet voluntary sustainability criteria through the Product Standards filter and provides detailed information on the PDP. We also showcase sustainability-related collections, marketing campaigns, and editorial pieces for brands and products that meet the Product Standards criteria or integrate sustainability practices in their sourcing and production processes. 44. How can I get started to showcase my sustainability-related product attributes on Zalando? To showcase your products with sustainability-related attributes, first, ensure they meet the minimum criteria required for Zalando’s Fashion Store. The key requirements include our Sustainable Sourcing Policy, Product and Content Guidelines and our Animal Welfare Policy (available in our Full Guide ). A full list of the optional requirements and criteria for attributes to be showcased in the Fashion Store can be found in our Full Guide as well. For products that fulfil our optional requirements, you must then share the relevant data with Zalando. 45. How often do you update the Sustainability Product Standards? We review our sustainability product standards on an annual basis and aim to increase our standards incrementally, in line with evolving regulation and our corporate sustainability ambitions. We maintain ongoing communication with the industry and monitor developments to update criteria and ensure compliance with ‘green claims’. If you have feedback on our criteria or the process, please email us at productsustainability@zalando.de Glossary of terms Organic Organic agriculture is defined as a production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people. It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects. [Textile Exchange / IFOAM International]. Recycled Recycled Material is defined as material that has been reprocessed from Reclaimed Material (material that would have otherwise been disposed of as waste or used for energy recovery, but has instead been collected and reclaimed as a material input, in lieu of new primary material, for a recycling process) by means of a manufacturing process and made into a final product or into a component for incorporation into a product. Pre-Consumer Material means material diverted from