Marketplace Observatory

Marketplaces compared on the topic of sustainability

What are the top marketplaces in Italy on which Italian companies focus the most? Read the updated ranking!

Published 2 Apr 2025

In recent years, sustainability has emerged as a crucial issue, especially in the context of online commerce, where emissions play a major role.

Meeting this challenge has become imperative, and marketplaces are distinguishing themselves through their concrete commitment to environmental sustainability.

For years, they have been developing ambitious plans, anticipating consumer expectations and demonstrating a growing sensitivity to environmental issues.

Speaking of marketplaces, two big names stand out in particular: Amazon and Zalando. What can we say about the comparison between Amazon and Zalando on sustainability?

Zalando, the renowned online fashion giant in Europe, has launched the“do.MORE” initiative, aiming to transform itself into a sustainable fashion platform. The company is actively engaged in reducing carbon emissions and promoting sustainable practices, including the exclusive use of renewable energy.

Amazon has adopted a strategy that focuses on environmental sustainability in its operations. In 2019, Amazon was among the co-founders of the Climate Pledge, an initiative aimed at achieving zero net carbon emissions by 2040.

Zalando and sustainability: what are the goals of the project?

Zalando is actively engaged in transforming itself into a sustainable fashion platform, pursuing the ambitious goal of generating significant benefits for people and the environment.

The company devotes considerable resources to reducing carbon emissions, embracing a long-term vision to mitigate the environmental impact of its business.

Through a holistic approach, Zalando strives to adopt sustainable initiatives that proactively address challenges related to climate change, thereby helping to build a more conscious and responsible fashion industry.

Some relevant data

78%

Since 2017, Zalando has seen a significant 78 percent reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions. These two scopes include both direct emissions generated internally by the company (Scope 1) and indirect emissions associated with purchased energy (Scope 2).

This data highlights Zalando’s concrete efforts in limiting its environmental impact and adopting more sustainable business practices.

62.000t

During 2022, out of a total of 62,000 tons of packaging materials used,86 percent came from recycled sources, demonstrating the company’s heightened commitment toresponsible resource use.

Even more relevant is the fact that 99 percent of these materials were recyclable, emphasizing Zalando’s desire to promote the circular economy and contribute to waste reduction. These tangible results reflect Zalando’s pragmatic approach to managing its operations in line with sustainable environmental principles.

Amazon and sustainability: what are the goals of the project?

Amazon has set an ambitious goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2040, a decade ahead of the commitments set by the Paris Agreement.

This commitment highlights the company’s ongoing work to balance the carbon emissions generated by its operations.

This balance is implemented through significant investments in projects aimed at emissions mitigation and through concrete reforestation actions.

In this way, Amazon not only aims to fulfill environmental expectations but also acts as a forerunner in pursuing sustainable solutions beyond global standards.

Some relevant data

90%

Amazon is making significant progress toward energy sustainability. In 2022, 90 percent of the electricity used by the company was derived from renewable energy sources, with an ambitious goal of reaching 100 percent by 2025.

$2 B

This concrete commitment is backed by substantial investment, as Amazon has allocated $2 billion through the Climate Pledge Fund to promote the development of sustainable technologies.

With such initiatives, Amazon is leading the way in the transition to a more sustainable energy model and actively contributing to the implementation of innovative solutions to environmental challenges.

Marketplace and the environment: Amazon and Zalando confront each other on sustainability

Amazon and Zalando emerge as major players in the sustainability landscape in marketplaces. Amazon tops the ranking with high scores in all categories, followed by Zalando.

Both have made significant progress in using renewable energy sources, with Zalando having already completed the transition, while Amazon has stated that it will do so by 2025.

In addition, Amazon and Zalando stand out for their efforts in promoting sustainable packaging through specific projects.

Both marketplaces offer a selection of sustainable products, oftenspecially labeled, and have launched product reuse initiatives.

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Amazon and Zalando compared on sustainability: Sell on Zalando and Amazon with Yocabe

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It offers, in fact, the ability to maximize sales on two major marketplaces: Zalando, Europe’s online fashion giant, and Amazon, the most popular generalist e-commerce platform on the planet.

Both are essential for those wishing to expand their online sales, but they are often complex to deal with.

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