Zalando are expected to produce around 95,000 metric tonnes (209 million pounds) of waste in 2026. Zalando ship more than 278 million orders a year across Europe.
This estimate is based on Zalando's own sustainability reporting, projected forward in line with the company's growth. Zalando have switched their shipping bags from plastic to paper and keep 99% of all packaging recyclable — yet total volumes climb year after year.
Zalando are Europe's largest online fashion and lifestyle platform, serving 62 million active customers across 27 markets. The company have pledged net-zero emissions in their own operations and private labels by 2040.
By 2026, Zalando's combined packaging and operational waste is estimated to reach around 95,000 metric tonnes.
Zalando's estimated waste footprint (2020–2026)
Zalando do not publish a single "total waste" figure. The table below combines the two streams they do report: packaging materials procured (almost all of which ends up as customer waste) and operational waste from their own facilities.
| Year | Packaging materials (metric tonnes) | Operational waste (metric tonnes) | Combined (metric tonnes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 59,000 | 35,000 | 95,000 |
| 2025 | 53,000 | 32,000 | 85,000 |
| 2024 | 51,000 | 29,000 | 80,000 |
| 2023 | 52,000 | 28,704 | 80,704 |
| 2022 | 62,000 | 32,528 | 94,528 |
| 2021 | 68,000 | n/a | n/a |
| 2020 | 53,000 | n/a | n/a |
Note: Packaging figures are tonnes of packaging materials procured by Zalando group, as reported in their sustainability reports. Operational waste covers Zalando's own warehouses and offices. 2024–2026 figures are estimates based on packaging weight per order (which fell from 286 g in 2020 to 212 g in 2023) applied to reported and guided order volumes. The 2026 estimate includes a full year of ABOUT YOU, consolidated since July 2025.
What is Zalando?
Zalando are a German e-commerce company and Europe's leading online platform for fashion and lifestyle.
Founded in Berlin in 2008 by Robert Gentz and David Schneider, the company started by selling shoes and now offer clothing, footwear, accessories and beauty products from more than 7,000 brand partners.
Zalando serve 62 million active customers across 27 European markets and reported a gross merchandise volume of €17.6 billion in 2025.
In July 2025, Zalando completed the acquisition of Hamburg-based competitor ABOUT YOU, consolidating their position as the continent's largest fashion e-commerce group.
Every one of those 278.6 million yearly orders leaves the warehouse in a box or bag and nearly all of that packaging ends up as household waste within days of delivery.
Zalando's packaging footprint (2020–2026)
Packaging is Zalando's most visible waste stream. The company have made real progress on material quality. 99% of their packaging has been recyclable since 2020, and recycled content has hovered between 82% and 89%.
| Year | Packaging (metric tonnes) | Recycled content | Recyclable |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 59,000 | 90% | 99% |
| 2025 | 53,000 | 89% | 99% |
| 2024 | 51,000 | 89% | 99% |
| 2023 | 52,000 | 82% | 99% |
| 2022 | 62,000 | 86% | 99% |
| 2021 | 68,000 | 89% | 99% |
| 2020 | 53,000 | 87% | 99% |
Note: Figures through 2023 are reported by Zalando. From 2024, tonnage is estimated from order volumes; the 2024 shares are Zalando's own disclosures. 2025–2026 shares are estimates based on the stable trend since 2020.
What is the packaging made of?
Zalando's packaging is almost entirely paper-based. Shipping bags are made from 100% FSC-certified paper, beauty bags from 100% recycled paper, and shipping boxes from a mix of FSC-certified and recycled cardboard. The remaining plastic, mainly the polybags around each garment, is made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic.
Zalando's single-use plastic problem
Although the outer packaging is now almost entirely paper, plastic has not disappeared from the parcel. Inside most garments are still wrapped in a thin plastic polybag.
In 2019, Zalando committed to eliminating single-use plastic from their packaging by 2023. Their target was missed: the company closed 2023 at 7.4 grams of disposable plastic per item shipped, barely below their 2020 level.
| Year | Grams of single-use plastic per item shipped (group) | Grams per item produced (private labels) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 6.5 | 5.5 |
| 2025 | 7.0 | 5.6 |
| 2024 | 7.2 | 5.7 |
| 2023 | 7.4 | 5.7 |
| 2022 | 5.1 | 5.4 |
| 2020 | 7.8 | n/a |
Note: The group figure covers all items shipped by Zalando; the private-label figure covers only Zalando's own brands. Figures for 2024–2026 are estimates, as Zalando have not reported per-item plastic since 2023.
The polybag — why the plastic won't go away
The main source of plastic waste is the polybag: the thin plastic wrap that protects each garment from moisture and dirt between factory and customer. It is cheap, lightweight and effective, which is exactly why no scalable alternative exists.
Zalando have reduced what they can: polybags are now made from 100% recycled plastic, and reduction initiatives saved over 1,000 tonnes of plastic across 2022 and 2023. But until the polybag itself can be replaced, single-use plastic remains part of every shipment.
Zalando's carbon footprint (2017–2026)
Zalando's emissions story splits in two. In their own operations (Scope 1 and scope 2), the company have cut emissions by more than 80% since 2017, running on 100% renewable electricity. But the full value chain (Scope 3)— the products they sell, the packaging, the deliveries — dwarfs those savings.
| Year | Scope 1 + 2 (tonnes CO₂e) | Scope 3 (tonnes CO₂e) | Total (tonnes CO₂e) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4,900 | 5,100,000 | 5,105,000 |
| 2025 | 5,100 | 5,250,000 | 5,255,000 |
| 2024 | 4,900 | 5,460,000 | 5,465,000 |
| 2022 | 6,100 | 5,875,258 | 5,881,358 |
| 2021 | 27,262 | 2,700,243 | 2,727,505 |
| 2017 | 27,413 | 183,425 | 211,000 |
Note: The 2021–2022 jump in Scope 3 reflects expanded measurement methodology, not a real doubling. Figures for 2024–2026 are estimates based on Zalando's reported reduction rates, and exclude ABOUT YOU.
The 10 biggest waste contributors among Zalando's brands
Zalando sell products from more than 7,000 brand partners — yet the waste behind those products never appears on Zalando's books.
It doesn't appear on the brands' books either. No fashion brand reports the waste their products create: the manufacturing scrap, the packaging, the unsold stock and the garments eventually thrown away all go unreported.
What can be ranked is scale: the more a brand produces, the more waste follows. The table below lists the 10 biggest brands sold on Zalando, ranked by global revenue.
| # | Brand(s) on Zalando | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nike, Jordan | Sportswear & footwear |
| 2 | Adidas | Sportswear & footwear |
| 3 | & Other Stories, Arket (H&M) | Fashion |
| 4 | Vans, The North Face, Timberland | Footwear & outdoor |
| 5 | Puma | Sportswear & footwear |
| 6 | Skechers | Footwear |
| 7 | Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein | Fashion |
| 8 | New Balance | Sportswear & footwear |
| 9 | Ralph Lauren, Polo | Fashion |
| 10 | Levi's | Denim & casualwear |
Note: Ranked by latest reported global revenue of each brand's parent company. Zalando do not disclose brand-level sales, and none of the brands disclose product waste — global scale is the best available indicator of the waste footprint behind each name.
Other facts about Zalando and waste
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85% of Zalando's operational waste is recycled. Of the 28,704 tonnes generated in 2023, around 24,000 tonnes — mostly paper, cardboard and plastic packaging — went to recycling, and about 2,100 tonnes were incinerated with energy recovery.
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Reusable boxes saved 980 tonnes. By reusing cardboard boxes when moving goods between fulfilment centres, Zalando avoided 980 tonnes of new boxes in 2022 alone.
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Paper has replaced plastic shipping bags. Shipping bags are now 100% FSC-certified paper, beauty bags 100% recycled paper, and boxes a mix of FSC-certified and recycled cardboard.
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Folding clothes differently cuts polybags in half. A different folding method lets two items share one polybag — saving 69 tonnes of plastic in private labels in 2021.
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Packaging targets are tied to executive pay. Emissions reductions and supplier science-based targets feed directly into the ESG modifier on Zalando's long-term management incentives.
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The 2026 numbers will include ABOUT YOU. With the July 2025 acquisition fully consolidated, Zalando guide for €19.7–20.6 billion GMV in 2026 — pushing estimated order volumes past 310 million.
Frequently asked questions about Zalando's waste production
Below, we have answered the most frequently asked questions about Zalando's waste production.
How much waste does Zalando produce each year?
An estimated 95,000 metric tonnes in 2026, combining roughly 59,000 tonnes of packaging shipped to customers and 35,000 tonnes of operational waste.
Does Zalando report a single "total waste" number?
No. They report packaging materials procured and operational waste separately, and since 2024 under different (CSRD) reporting formats. Any combined total is an estimate.
How much packaging does Zalando use?
Between 52,000 and 68,000 tonnes per year over 2020–2023. Roughly 59,000 tonnes are estimated for 2026, driven by order growth and the ABOUT YOU acquisition.
How much of Zalando's packaging is recyclable?
99% — a figure the company have held steady since 2020. Recycled content has ranged from 82% to 89%.
Did Zalando eliminate single-use plastic?
No. They missed their 2023 elimination target; single-use plastic stood at 7.4 grams per item shipped that year, up 46% from 2022.
How much has Zalando cut their emissions?
Scope 1+2 emissions are down more than 80% since 2017. Total emissions, dominated by the value chain, stood at roughly 5.3 million tonnes CO₂e in 2025 — down about 11% from 2022.
What are Zalando's climate goals?
Net zero by 2040 in their own operations and private labels, and net zero by 2050 across the full value chain.
Why is Zalando's waste rising if their packaging is getting lighter?
Growth. Packaging per order fell 26% between 2020 and 2023, but order volumes are heading past 310 million in 2026 — and absolute waste follows volume.
