In June 2021, we mapped our Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, following the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard and setting financial year 2020 (June 2019 – July 2020) as our base year. This process covers emissions across our entire value chain, including raw material production, manufacturing, logistics, energy use, and product end-of-life. A cross-functional team contributed to building this GHG baseline, which now benchmarks our annual emissions reduction efforts.

Our emissions reduction targets have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative as consistent with levels required to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.

ZIMMERMANN commits to reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 50% by FY2030 from a FY2020 base year. ZIMERMANN also commits to reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services, and upstream transportation and distribution 30% within the same timeframe (Near Term Targets).

We are proud to have met and exceeded our Scope 1 and 2 Science Based Target by reducing our Scope 2 (market-based) emissions by 99% within a year of setting the target. We have also met our commitment to implement 50% renewable energy in ZIMMERMANN’s operations three years ahead of the target year. To achieve this target, we retired Energy Attribute Certificates sourced in line with the GHG Protocol quality criteria and which are labelled by EKOenergy or Green-e.

To implement our roadmap to reduce Scope 3 emissions, we have integrated sustainability in our sourcing decisions to increase the uptake of materials with a lower carbon impact, such as those made with recycled fibres, and engaged our suppliers in conversations regarding the green energy transition and the promotion of energy-efficient processes. Our Production and Logistics Departments have been working towards increasing the use of sea freight over airfreight while optimising shipping routes and packaging. The Sustainability Report provides a detailed comparison between the baseline, FY22 inventory, and the current financial year.

During 2020, we actioned several packaging initiatives to reduce waste, including:

Plastic bags – most products travel from the factories in plastic (PE) bags to protect them from damage. During 2020 we redeveloped all bags used for this purpose to be made from 100% recycled material, which is also recyclable.

Hangers – many garments travel to our stores on plastic hangers, and for the moment, this is difficult to avoid, but we can help reduce excessive waste. It is normal practice to use these hangers just once, but we have worked out a system to ensure their continued reuse. The hangers used in our Australian stores are taken back by the manufacturer to be cleaned and reused within our own retail network.

Retail and online packaging – all packaging has been redeveloped to be made from recycled or sustainable materials. Additionally, we are now offering our online customers an “eco-friendly” option.

As part of our commitment to reducing plastic waste, we are looking into broadening the opportunities to divert polyethylene bags from landfill once they reach their end of life in store.

An overview of packaging materials used, including percentages by weight, is available in the Sustainability Report. Highlights include 70% of paper and cardboard is FSC-certified and 89% of all plastic packaging has 100% recycled content.