Fashion is more than a reflection of trends. It is a means of expression, of identity. It is a tool for change.
At Inditex, we believe in the transformative power of fashion and we strive to contribute to the transformation of the textile industry.
We are determined to reduce our impact on water, energy and natural resource consumption. We want to make progress in the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss, in line with the recommendations and aspirations of the United Nations, as well as to contribute to the protection of the planet and the people who inhabit it.
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Guided by the aspiration and passion to create quality fashion for all people, we are determined to continue to innovate and improve our efficiency while reducing our impacts, moving towards a circular model and achieving zero net emissions.
At Inditex, we are agents of change. In 2001, the company became a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact and since then we have demonstrated our strong commitment to people and the environment. Together with scientists, environmental and social organisations and partners from several fields, we want to go one step further to contribute to innovation in the fashion world and lead the transformation of the industry. To do this, we set ourselves goals that help us to make our destination visible and the challenges we face in order to achieve it. We aim to stimulate innovation and attract the talent and resources needed to bring about change across our industry.
Main goals
2025
100% linen and polyester with lower impact.
25% reduction of our water consumption in our supply chain
Reaching three million people in the supply chain through the Employee at the Centre strategy
2030
5 million hectares protected, restored, regenerated, or under other forms of management for the enhancement of biodiversity
Reduce our emissions by more than 50% (including own operations and supply chain).
Use only low-impact textile fibres (newly created fibres, recycled and from organic or regenerative agriculture).
2040
Zero net emissions, reducing at least 90% of our carbon footprint compared to 2018
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Circularity begins with design. That's why all our designers are trained in sustainability, always open to new ideas and constant experimentation, true to the culture of innovative thinking for which we stand out. We pay special attention to the impact of the raw materials we include in our products, such as cotton, the fibre we use most in our garments. This is why we work with our suppliers to prioritise the consumption of cotton from producers selected for their social and environmental compliance, certified by an independent third party and with traceability.
Prioritising the use of innovative, recycled, organic or regenerative raw materials is key to transforming our industry, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and making more responsible use of water and energy.
Creativity and disruptiveness are key, for example, in our Sustainability Innovation Hub, the platform where we are constantly searching for the best materials and processes, working with start-ups and weaving strategic research alliances with chemical industry leaders, innovation accelerators and other key partners.
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At Inditex, we believe in the potential of our industry as a driver of economic growth and community development. To continue to move towards a more responsible textile industry, we work with all suppliers and manufacturers in our supply chain, from garment factories to spinning mills, to incorporate best practices. We apply a strict compliance programme based on ongoing audits and improvement plans to ensure social and labour conditions in the factories working with us. In partnership with organisations such as IndustriALL — an international trade union federation with which we have a pioneering Global Framework Agreement — we work to ensure strong industrial relations.
We have a unique social strategy, "Worker at the Centre", which promotes the well-being and empowerment of people in our supply chain, advancing employee participation and living wage bargaining in the industry, promoting safe and discrimination-free work environments, and protecting health from a holistic perspective. In addition, we support industry resilience to face challenges such as the transition to lower impact processes, the implementation of new technologies and societal changes, and we work on defining adaptation mechanisms that strengthen the sustainability and competitiveness of supply chains.
To drive improvements in production processes, we have launched our 2024-2027 Supply Chain Environmental Transformation Plan, which raises the mandatory requirements for manufacturers working with us on water consumption and management, waste treatment, chemical use and carbon footprint.
All cutting, sewing, washing, dyeing, spinning and weaving mills must have a decarbonisation plan in place this year that will enable them to reduce their emissions at an annual rate of more than 4%, in line with our emissions reduction commitment. This plan promotes the use of renewable energies, the optimisation of production processes and the implementation of technologies with a lower environmental impact.
Responsible water management and consumption, proper waste treatment and the safe use of chemicals are the other three key pillars of this plan. To achieve our goal of reducing water consumption in our supply chain by 25% this year, we are working with our suppliers to optimise wet processes, ensuring efficient consumption in each process and for each type of fibre and to reuse waste water. Moreover, we work with ZDHC to advance the safety of the chemicals used. By 2027, 95% of the substances used by manufacturers in our supply chain will have to be certified by this organisation.
To facilitate this transition, we maintain a programme of support and accompaniment for our suppliers, including consultancy and specialised technical advice. This support will include customised decarbonisation plans, training and tools available to industry. A good example is our guide to Best Available Techniques (BATs), which provides detailed information on practices that have a lower impact than conventional ones.
Best available technologies and measures to reduce environmental impact
Our roadmap is based on ongoing collaboration with our suppliers and a rigorous monitoring system, ensuring transparency and encouraging continuous improvement.
One example is our agreement with the International Apparel Federation to work with business organisations, brands and other stakeholders in transforming global apparel and textile supply chains.
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At Inditex, we carry out an ongoing review of the management of our shipments and our stores in order to implement mechanisms and solutions that reduce their impact.
We mainly use sea and land transport and resort to air transport mainly for intercontinental distances, for which other modes of transport are not optimal. Moreover, thanks to the fact that a significant part of our garments are manufactured in countries close to our headquarters and distribution centres — mainly in Spain, Portugal, Morocco and Turkey —, we are able to minimise the distances travelled in the supply of our products.
The efficiency of this sourcing and distribution model, coupled with our integrated stock management system, enables us to minimise the volume of surplus stock at the end of the season, which represents less than 1% of the items sold.
We continue to work to improve our renewable energy procurement and management mechanisms. From 2022, we will consume 100% renewable electricity in all our facilities (headquarters, distribution centres, factories and in all our own stores), reducing our Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 88%. Some of our flagship stores and all of our logistics centres also have the most prestigious sustainable building certificates.
As part of our commitment to move towards a circular economy, in 2020, we eliminated customer-delivered plastic bags in our shops and online sales, and committed to eliminate all single-use plastics reaching the customer, achieving a 95% elimination by 2023.
Our #traetubolsa initiative aims to promote the reuse of bags, discouraging the consumption of new packaging by charging for our bags in stores. Thanks to this measure, the Group has managed to reduce the consumption of new paper bags by more than 50% by 2024, also allocating an equivalent amount to environmental projects in more than 30 countries, with entities such as WWF — with whom the Group collaborates in fourteen projects to restore ecosystems and protect endangered fauna around the world —; Water.org, an organisation with which it works to improve water and sanitation infrastructure in various countries in Southeast Asia; or the Xunta de Galicia, with whom we collaborate to fight forest fires in northwest Spain.
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At Inditex, we want to promote community support projects in education, emergency care and care for the environment that promote the protection of people, the planet and its ecosystems.
In 2024, we will support 953 social and environmental projects with an investment of €135 million. These initiatives have directly benefited more than 4.6 million people, and we aim to reach 10 million people by 2025.
Through strategic alliances and support programmes with more than 450 social entities, the company seeks to generate a positive impact on diverse communities, both locally and globally. These initiatives include projects to improve access to health services with agreements with organisations such as Médecins Sans Frontières, Medicus Mundi and Every Mother Counts; the integration of people with disabilities through our for&from shops or in situations of vulnerability with NGOs such as Cáritas and Entreculturas; and the promotion of education and research, with stable collaborations with universities such as the University of A Coruña, MIT and the University of Tshingua, among many others.
Biodiversity is key to the functioning of ecosystems and plays a crucial role in water purification, soil fertility, crop pollination and climate regulation. That is why we are committed to achieving five million hectares protected, restored, regenerated or otherwise managed for biodiversity enhancement.
Among other initiatives, we collaborate with Conservation International on projects such as the Regenerative Fund for Nature to help scale up regenerative farming and ranching practices, or the Mountains to Mangroves project, which seeks to conserve and restore the Eastern Himalayan region, an ecosystem that represents one-twelfth of all biodiversity on the planet.
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Transparency and collaboration are essential elements of our corporate culture, and we consider constant dialogue with our stakeholders to be key. Here are some of our achievements and new plans for the future.