FAQs

As a retailer, Westwing’s carbon footprint consists of emissions from its own operations such as from electricity usage and heating in our offices and warehouses, and indirect emissions originating from packaging and logistics.

We have committed to setting science-based targets by 2023. In parallel, we have started to identify ways to avoid or reduce our GHG emissions (e.g., by sourcing renewable energy or by looking into alternative modes of transport for the delivery of our products).

It means that we have calculated our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To offset (balance) these emissions, we have purchased credits, through a credible third-party partner, that help finance projects which mitigate or reduce the amount of carbon being emitted.

We are offsetting:

• all our direct emissions, such as from heating/cooling our warehouses and offices, from our vehicle fleet (Scope 1)

• all the emissions linked to producing the energy/electricity we use (Scope 2), and;

• part of our indirect emissions, such as from business travel, employee commuting, teleworking, and upstream emissions from the heating, electricity and fuel that we consume (Scope 3)

Not yet. We are still working on calculating the carbon footprint for our whole value chain and evaluating various options to be able to offer carbon neutral products, packaging and delivery to our customers in the future. Some of our last-mile delivery is already carbon neutral, as we partner with carriers that provide this option.

Our carbon emissions were calculated following the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol methodology in cooperation with Climate Partner (specialized agency for carbon footprint calculation and management).

The GHG Protocol is the world’s leading accounting standard for carbon emissions.

We realize that there is a plethora of carbon offset projects available. The three main criteria we use for our selection are:

1. project focus area (e.g., energy, forest): we wanted to have a diverse portfolio and ensure that we are contributing to the fight against climate change from various angles

2. project location: we wanted to support areas where we have many of our operations

3. quality standards (e.g., certification, gold standards): we wanted to ensure that the projects we support are properly monitored and have a genuine impact.

With regard to non-EU suppliers, we only work with suppliers who are audited/certified by third party entities (BSCI, SMETA, SA8000) on social aspects. With respect to our European suppliers, part of our strategy is to establish a closer relationship in order to improve our overall sustainability performance. We also strategically collaborate with suppliers to source more sustainable raw materials.

Westwing at this stage cannot provide detailed information on its product and raw materials suppliers. We acknowledge the importance of being transparent with respect to our supply chain and we will look into ways of making that possible.

Our main sourcing regions are China, Europe and India. A small share of our product portfolio is manufactured in Southeast Asia.

The majority of our shipping boxes are made out of 100% recycled cardboard and are recyclable. A remaining small proportion is made out of >70% recycled content which we will look into switching to 100% recycled content.

We have started to introduce shipping bags made from >90% recycled plastics for all of our shipping bags. We are working on ensuring that all of our packaging materials are recyclable in line with our strategic goal ( >90% of Westwing’s own packaging recyclable or compostable by 2028).

The majority of the materials used for our WE CARE products are certified in accordance to leading sustainability standards such as FSC®-certified wood, GOTS-certified cotton and GRS-certified recycled material. We also offer products made from other non-certified sustainable materials such as Jute and Kapok. Some of the WE CARE products, such as the boxspring beds, carry the Nordic Swan Ecolabel.

For our GOTS certified textiles we use FSC®-certified carton & PVC-free plastic bags. All other products are delivered in our standard Westwing packaging.

During the product development of our WE CARE products we focus primarily on the use of sustainable materials. At least one main material must be either certified sustainable in accordance with leading industry standards or considered as sustainable according to scientific literature and expert opinions.

The “We care” brand level label was used to promote campaigns with brands that act in a socially and environmentally responsible manner.  

We are now moving to a product level approach, providing our customers with sustainability information on each product individually and helping them to make more sustainable choices.

It continues to be a high priority for us to work with brands recognized for their sustainability efforts, this is why we have developed our new Supplier Code of Conduct.

We believe that our online shopping platforms can be used most effectively to enable our customers to make more sustainable choices. Our new sustainable label facilitates informed purchasing choices by providing credible sustainability information for each individual product.

The new “Sustainable” label is applied to individual products based on their available sustainability certifications or attributes. These are defined in our Sustainability Labeling (SL) guidelines and are based on the latest scientific findings and expert opinion. The sustainability section in each Product Detail Page provides clear information as to what the relevant certification/attribute stands for and which aspects of the product it addresses.

There are many different sustainability considerations and many steps in a product’s life cycle. Our current label focuses primarily on products that contain, or are made of, sustainable materials. As we gain further insights into our products and our suppliers we will aim to expand the coverage and meaning of our “Sustainable” label.

The established criteria are the result of extensive external benchmarking, research, and discussions with internal and external experts. The list of criteria is reviewed and updated twice a year to take into consideration new developments and findings in the field of sustainability labeling as well as feedback received from our customers, sales and production teams.

Our suppliers are responsible for providing relevant information on the sustainability features and certifications of their products. We do not label products as sustainable unless relevant information is provided by our suppliers such as license numbers, certification details and other background information to support their claims. Information provided is reviewed and assessed by our Sales and Production teams. Additionally, spot checks are conducted by our Sustainability team on regular intervals. Should you find any information provided to not be truthful or accurate, please contact us : sustainability@westwing.de and we will make sure to take appropriate action.

UNGC places a special focus on human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption and its mission is to help businesses act responsibly by aligning their strategies and operations with UNGC’s Ten Principles in these focus areas. Our 2030 Sustainability Strategy is based on many of the same principles that UNGC is an advocate for and our membership reconfirms our deep commitment. The membership will also give us the opportunity to advance our sustainability efforts and implement our strategy. It will provide us with access to tools, trainings and stakeholder networks which will help us stay abreast of new developments in these important sustainability areas and enable us to take strategic actions to advance broader societal goals with an emphasis on collaboration and innovation.