Etailer Sustainability Gap Widens as Progress Decelerates
A recent survey of 50 leading e-tailers operating in France has revealed a rapidly expanding disparity between companies actively embracing environmentally responsible practices and those, representing a third of those surveyed, who are notably lagging. While the primary focus of this assessment was France, the global operations of many participating retailers indicate that these findings are highly relevant and reflect similar issues across numerous international markets.
The third annual sustainable e-commerce survey, conducted by Converteo, meticulously evaluated 50 e-tailers against 42 verifiable criteria. These comprehensive criteria spanned various aspects of their operations, including the business model (examining options for product resale, rental, or repair), delivery types (assessing the availability of locker drop-offs, soft mobility solutions, or slow delivery options), the shopping experience (considering return limitations, environmental labelling, and maintenance advice), procurement practices (such as returns packaging, CSR audits, and the use of bio-sourced materials), and how environmental pledges are substantiated (through certifications, public carbon footprint reports, and the signing of commitment charters).
For the first time since its inception, the survey noted a deceleration in the overall progress observed, with improvements limited to only 41% of the criteria analysed. More critically, the study highlighted a significant widening of the gap between the top 10 most environmentally responsible e-tailers and the 10 businesses situated at the bottom of the ranking, indicating a growing divide in sustainable commitment and implementation.
Converteo reported that Decathlon led the ranking impressively, achieving positive scores in 79% of the criteria, closely followed by Darty and Leroy Merlin, both at 67%. In stark contrast, 15 e-tailers scored below the 30% mark. The gap between the leading 10 and bottom 10 was particularly pronounced in key areas such as business model sustainability (88% versus 28%), procurement practices (83% versus 23%), and governance (68% versus 5%), underscoring a fundamental difference in strategic integration of sustainability.
Within the fashion category, the low-cost Chinese e-tailer Shein achieved one of the lowest scores in the entire panel, meeting only 16% of the sustainability criteria. Converteo highlighted this stark contrast with Galeries Lafayette, which demonstrated significant improvement, rising by 12 points to reach 56%. Similarly, another Chinese low-price competitor, Temu, performed poorly, not exceeding a 10% compliance rate with sustainability criteria.
Conversely, several fashion retailers showed commendable progress. Sweden’s H&M increased its score by 9 points in one year, reaching 52%, largely due to its concentrated efforts in circularity and traceability. French apparel retailer Kiabi also made significant strides, gaining 8 points to hit 57%, predominantly by excelling in its sourcing and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) criteria.
Beyond fashion, Intersport has made remarkable progress over the past decade, growing from 50% to 77% of positive criteria, nearly closing the gap with long-standing leader Decathlon. However, the survey also identified several notable setbacks, including significant drops recorded by the French event sales site Showroomprivé (-20%) and the German sportswear brand Adidas (-17%), indicating that sustained commitment to environmental responsibility is an ongoing challenge for some established players.
