FAQs

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.

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.

The highest share of our products is manufactured in Europe. The remainder of the products are procured from select asian suppliers.

As an online retailer, Westwing’s carbon footprint encompasses both direct emissions from our operational activities—like electricity and heating in our offices and warehouses—as well as a broad array of indirect emissions across the entire lifecycle of our products. This includes emissions from sourcing raw materials, production processes, packaging, transportation, and even the use phase of our products by customers.

Our carbon emissions are calculated on an annual basis and disclosed in our Sustainability Report.

We have set and successfully validated science-based emission reduction targets in 2023. To achieve these targets, we are focused on reducing energy and transportation-related emissions by introducing a range of initiatives promoting energy efficiency. We are also exploring renewable energy solutions to further decrease our environmental footprint. Regarding our products, we prioritise sustainable sourcing and waste reduction throughout their lifecycle, with a dedication to extending their lifespan and minimising their environmental impact.

Our focus with respect to climate change is on avoiding and reducing GHG emissions. While these efforts are underway, we also invest in a combination of GHG emissions avoidance and removal carbon credits projects to broaden our impact beyond immediate targets. These credits do not contribute to our SBTi commitments.

Our carbon emissions are calculated using the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol methodology. To support our calculation, we use Sweep, a carbon and ESG software tool, and seek advice from established consultancies to improve our calculations where necessary.

Our approach to selecting carbon credit (offset) projects is based on a framework of 3 key components:

Project type (e.g. afforestation, solar power, wind power, carbon removals): our portfolio inculdes a range of project types to ensure that we support projects that both avoid carbon emissions and remove carbon from the atmosphere.

Location: we support projects which are located in areas where we either operate or where our suppliers are based.

Quality standards: we support projects that are third-party verified and are certified to a leading, credible standard, such as Verra or Gold Standard, to ensure that projects are properly monitored and have a real impact.

Our current portfolio can be viewed here: https://app.ceezer.earth/share/portfolio/0ph0tib2yjec

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 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 with ‘WE CARE“ 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.

The new ‘WE CARE’ 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 ‘WE CARE’ label.

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

All of our packaging is made from recyclable materials excluding single-use plastics and foams which we are working on eliminating in line with our strategic goals.

We are also working to increase the use of recycled materials in our packaging. The majority of our shipping boxes are made out of 100% recycled cardboard with a remaining small proportion being made out of more than 70% recycled content. We have started to switch our plastic materials to introduce shipping bags and cushioning material made from >60% recycled plastics.

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.

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.