Sustainability has moved from a marketing talking point to an operational requirement for many European fashion retailers, and Zalando is no exception. Zalando's Do More program is the umbrella under which the company frames its own sustainability strategy, and increasingly, that strategy has implications for the partner brands selling through the Zalando Partner Program, not just for Zalando's internal operations. Understanding what is expected at the listing level, and what documentation actually backs those expectations, helps sellers avoid scrambling to catch up as requirements continue to evolve.

Why Zalando Has Pushed Sustainability Into the Partner Program

Several forces are converging on this at once: growing EU regulatory attention on textile sustainability and environmental claims, rising shopper demand for transparency about how and from what a garment is made, and Zalando's own public sustainability commitments as one of Europe's largest fashion platforms. Because Zalando's storefront is a blend of its own initiatives and thousands of partner catalogs, meeting its sustainability commitments in a meaningful way requires extending expectations to the brands selling through the platform, not just to Zalando's own logistics and packaging.

What Do More Broadly Covers

Zalando's Do More program spans the company's own operations, including packaging choices, logistics emissions, and circularity initiatives such as resale, rental, or repair services, alongside expectations that extend into the assortment sold by partner brands. On the partner side, this generally shows up as encouragement, and in some cases requirements, to attach more sustainability information to individual products rather than as a separate standalone certification process a brand has to pass to sell at all.

Sustainability Information at the Listing Level

Sellers may be asked to provide additional product attributes covering things like certified materials, such as organic or recycled fiber content, and recognized industry certifications where a product genuinely qualifies for them. This information typically feeds into on-site sustainability flags or filters that let shoppers specifically browse for more sustainable options. In practice, this means products without this information are not usually blocked from sale outright, but they may simply be less discoverable to the growing subset of shoppers actively filtering for sustainability signals.

Documentation and Verification Expectations

Sustainability claims generally need to be backed by verifiable certification or documented sourcing information rather than marketing language alone. Unsubstantiated claims risk rejection during content review, and more broadly, run up against tightening EU-level rules around greenwashing in advertising and product labeling that apply well beyond any single platform. Brands that get ahead of this by maintaining real documentation put themselves in a stronger position regardless of how Zalando's specific requirements continue to evolve.

Practical Steps for Getting Ahead of Sustainability Requirements

  • Audit which SKUs already qualify for recognized material or certification claims before assuming none of your catalog qualifies.
  • Gather supporting documentation ahead of listing rather than trying to retrofit it after a claim is already published.
  • Use accurate, verifiable language in descriptions rather than aspirational or vague sustainability claims.
  • Include care and durability information that supports genuine garment longevity, which is itself a sustainability signal.
  • Monitor Zalando's partner communications regularly, since expectations in this area have been evolving and are likely to keep changing.

How This Fits Into Broader European Regulation

EU-level initiatives around textile sustainability, extended producer responsibility, and substantiating environmental claims are broader trends affecting apparel sold across many European retail channels, not just products listed on Zalando specifically. Building genuine, well-documented sustainability practices has value that extends well beyond satisfying one platform's partner program, and brands that treat it as a long-term operational investment rather than a one-time compliance checkbox will likely find it easier to adapt as requirements across the region continue to tighten.