We are working tirelessly on solutions for lowering GHG emissions all along our value chain. Those efforts are concentrated around our Supply Chain Transformation Plan, our Fibres Plan, the rollout of circularity and efficiency programmes and ecosystem protection and conservation initiatives.

/ Transition towards renewable energy sources: since 2022, the electricity consumed in our facilities (headquarters and international offices, logistics centres, factories and stores) comes exclusively from renewable sources.

/ Fostering energy efficiency: we have reduced our relative energy consumption per square metre and per euro of sale by 19% and 40%, respectively, by comparison with 2018.

/ Integrating more sustainable processes in our supply chain: we are currently working to increase the use of preferred fibres (fibres with a better impact), contribute to organic and regenerative farming and support our suppliers.

/ Preserving ecosystems: we collaborate with international organisations dedicated to fostering regenerative farming and stockbreeding practices and to protecting and restoring ecosystems.

In 2023 we consumed a total of 1,606,212 MWh of energy, of which 1,551,492 MWh came from renewable sources. That translates into a 19% reduction in our unit energy consumption per square metre by comparison with 2018.

We are partnering with firms of the calibre of Maersk, Atlas Air, Repsol, Renfe and Cepsa to reduce our transport carbon footprint and foster the use of alternative fuels. 

Our Global Water Management Strategy is designed to ensure sustainable and efficient use of water across our value chain. Another relevant initiative is the work around our Green to Wear standard in order to expand knowledge about the water context in our supply chain.

We consumed 1,767,463 cubic metres of water in our own facilities - head offices, factories, logistics centres and stores - a decrease of 1% from 2022. Initiatives such as the use of storm tanks made it possible to collect 35,356m³ of water, up 41% from 2022, for use in watering systems and toilets.

We also worked to prevent both synthetic and natural microfibres shedding in two areas of the value chain where their shedding its particularly prevalent: wet processes and at-home washing. One of the resulting projects is the Air Fiber Washer, developed in partnership with the Spanish firm, Jeanología, which makes it possible to extract a high percentage of microfibres before the garments are put on sale thanks to innovative air-based technology.

We take steps to avoid negative impacts on ecosystems of high biodiversity value such as primary forests and habitats for species in danger of extinction.

We prioritise materials and production processes that reduce potential negative impacts on biodiversity.

We are working with the Regenerative Fund for Nature in partnership with Conservation International and the Kering Group, investing in innovative projects related with the raw materials we use. More specifically, in 2023 we supported two projects working to encourage regenerative practices in India and Pakistan through the Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA), and a project focused on cattle breeding together with Fundación Solidaridad in Argentina’s Gran Chaco forest area. In India we supported the transition to regenerative practices and nature restoration in an area spanning 300,000 hectares in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, in partnership with Action Social Advancement (ASA), as well as the Laudes Foundation, IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative and WWF India.

Among the various initiatives carried out in 2023 we would highlight Business for Nature, through which we joined over 80 companies in calling on European leaders for an ambitious new EU Nature Restoration Law. Another good example is our endorsement of The Deforestation-Free Call to Action for Leather, a collective action initiative championed by the Textile Exchange and Leather Working Group (LWG) urging brands to source their cattle hides from deforestation-free suppliers by 2030 or earlier, investing in best practices to that end.

We unveiled our Fibres Plan at our 2023 Annual General Meeting.  

That Plan’s overriding goal is to only use lower-impact raw materials by 2030 (fibres we call “preferred” fibres, in line with the definition used by benchmark organisations such as the Textile Exchange). 

In the last campaign of 2023, preferred raw materials accounted for 68% of total raw material consumption, marking year-on-year growth of 8 percentage points.  Ninety-six per cent of the cotton used last season was preferred cotton. 

In addition, 85% of the synthetic cellulosic fibres used last season were preferred fibres. The difficulties in sourcing preferred man-made cellulosic fibres in certain markets has hampered the execution of orders for preferred fabric in 2023.

When updating our sustainability commitments, we pledged that 40% of our textile fibres will be derived from conventional recycling in 2030, one of the milestones for reaching our larger goal of having 100% of our textile products made from lower-impact materials. In 2023, our products already had a recycled material content of 18% (2022: 13%).

We also formulated a guide for yarn containing mechanically recycled cotton fibre, mainly post-industrial cotton, to provide information about its possible uses and limitations. The idea behind the guide is to support our sales teams and suppliers, helping them take decisions about product design and sourcing.

In 2023 we launched Active to Wear, a product quality tool that defines minimum requirements for fabrics or garments labelled with a functional property that improves their performance if used in certain ways or activities, e.g., water repellent fabric or clothing.

We also published a new guide addressing best practices for manufacturing free from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS or ‘forever chemicals’).

Last year we also updated our Clear to Wear (CtW) standard for regulatory developments and to align it with the ever-evolving Restricted Substances List.

In all, we have eight product standards with different scopes. Our Picking inspections programme allows us to ensure that our articles are made in keeping with our health and safety standards. In 2023, 60,685 inspections were made, entailing 821,934 tests and analyses.

At Inditex we want our customers to enjoy our products for a long time and we want them to be able to give them a second life when the time comes. Our Zara Pre-Owned platform, which we launched in 2022, provides repair services, customer-to-customer sales and donation options. At present, in line with our target of rolling this platform out in all our key markets by 2025, Zara Pre-Owned is available in 16 markets. 

Our clothing collection programme recovered a total of 20,259 tonnes of clothing and footwear in 2023 for donation to our partners. In 2023, our partners reported to us that 67% of the garments received was reused through donations or resale to finance charitable projects and 33% was sent for recycling.

Another pioneering project was the launch in 2022 of The Laundry by Zara Home in collaboration with BASF: the first detergent designed specifically to reduce microfibre release during clothes washing. In 2023 we extended the patent to Canada, the US and Brazil.

Thanks to the our teams’ efforts, in 2023 we managed to find alternative solutions for all single-use plastics that used to end up in customers’ hands. We estimate that the use of these alternative solutions has allowed us to eliminate 95% of our single-use plastics.

As for waste management, 100% of the waste generated in our facilities (corporate head offices, logistics centres, proprietary factories and stores) is collected, sorted and managed by an authorised handler so as to permit its reuse or recycling and ensure it does not end up in a landfill.

Indeed in 2023, 100% of the board and paper collected in our facilities, mainly boxes, was sent for reuse and/or recycling. In addition, framed by our intent to always do more, we are introducing a system whereby online Zara shoppers can choose whether they would like to receive their orders in a recycled box.