recycling and efficient use of resources

At Inditex, we understand sustainability as a commitment to society and the environment. For that reason, our circular economy model is applied to all phases along the value chain so we can increase efficiency and reduce emissions. The Dow Jones Sustainability Index has awarded us a gold medal as the most sustainable retail company in the sector.

At Inditex, we are aware of the need to use resources more efficiently every day and offer our customers ethical and responsible products. This commitment requires our value chain to be sustainable at all stages. Thus, in 2016 we began applying our new Strategic Environmental Sustainability Plan 2016-2020, which further embeds the responsible circular economy model throughout the value chain and continues the work and effort begun in our previous plan, Sustainable Inditex 2011-2015. In line with our values, this new plan cuts across all of our business departments and lays out a step-by-step path to becoming a more sustainable company.

The 2016-2020 Plan furthers the commitments of our Environmental Policy and the guidelines set out by our three main strategies: the Global Water Management Strategy, the Energy Strategy and the Biodiversity Strategy, as well as the Forest Product Policy. This array of actions defines the environmental challenges we have to overcome to achieve our goals by 2020.

Embarking on this plan marks a new chapter in our ongoing work to fulfil our sustainability commitments, as well as to contribute to the environment-related 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations. More specifically, at Inditex we have focused our environmental efforts on the following SDG:

INDITEX AND THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS		INDITEX’S CONTRIBUTION
	Goal 7: Guarantee access to affordable, safe, sustainable and modern energy for all.	We work to minimize our impact on climate change throughout our entire value chain. For example, we optimize our logistics processes, strive to make our facilities efficient and deepen our commitment to renewable energy. 30% of the power used at our offices, logistics centres and stores comes from clean sources.
	Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
	Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.	Our stores are equipped with cutting-edge technology to reduce their environmental impact and greenhouse gas footprint, adapting the company to a low-carbon economy through innovation and efficiency.
	Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.	Continuous improvement of our environmental management, use of recyclable raw materials and efficient use of resources are the main pillars of our Zero Waste to Landfill objective by 2020, which promotes a business model of responsible production based on a circular economy.

Among the actions taken against climate change, we have continued to invest in improving the efficiency of our logistic facilities and offices, redoubling our commitment to renewable energy. A noteworthy example is the new eco-efficient Pull&Bear headquarters, which received the LEED Gold seal, a certification also achieved by Oysho’s facilities in Tordera, Barcelona. We also continue working to bring all our stores up to the standards in the Eco-Efficient Store Manual, a milestone that 71% of our own stores have already reached.

Furthermore, we have committed to setting science-based targes for reducing greenhouse gases. These are essentially actions aiming to reduce the emissions associated with our activity in order to promote a low-carbon economy, a global goal recognized in the Paris Agreement.

Lastly, and in line with our Zero Waste commitment, we reduced the waste produced by our activity and promoted sustainable logistics, optimizing the containers and packaging used in order to cut down on the amount of material thrown out throughout our value chain.