#Retail & Brands

2023-10-19

Inditex partners with Maersk to reduce its maritime transport emissions

The use of Maersk’s alternative fuels is estimated to reduce GHG footprint by more than 80% per litre compared to conventional fossil fuels

Inditex, parent company of fashion brands such as Zara and Massimo Dutti, has partnered with the freight group Maersk to reduce its global greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint from seaborne logistics by incorporating alternative fuels in all its inbound routes with the carrier. Through the ECO Delivery Ocean programme, Maersk replaces fossil fuels on its ships with green fuels* like green methanol or second generation biodiesel based on waste feedstocks. This is expected to deliver an estimated reduction of more than 80% in GHG emissions per litre compared to conventional sources.

With ECO Delivery Ocean, Maersk offers its customers the opportunity to handle transports completely with certified green fuels for a fixed cost. The corresponding greenhouse gas savings are confirmed to the customers with an externally verified certificate and these transports will be exempted from EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) charges by Maersk in the future.

“This collaboration is a great example of how boosting innovative solutions with dedicated partners is key to fight climate change. Through this joint initiative with Maersk, we are making significant strides in reducing emissions associated with our sea freight. This project aligns with our goal to reach net zero emissions in 2040 and contributes to scale alternative fuels with a significant reduced carbon footprint,” says Abel Lopez, Head of Import, Export and Transport at Inditex.

“We are proud to have Inditex among our first customers who assign 100% of their Maersk ocean inbound cargo to our ECO Delivery product, which ensures a significant reduction of GHG emissions thanks to green fuels. We know Inditex since long as a very responsibly and sustainably thinking partner and customer and going all the way on their ocean cargo is good news for the environment and climate ”, says Emilio de la Cruz, Managing Director of Maersk’s Area South West Europe.

Right now, Maersk experiences that the demand for the very low GHG emission product ECO Delivery is high and very dynamic. “A lot of customers are asking us for a solution to reduce their scope 3 emissions, and the first customers are buying this premium solution for their whole cargo under Maersk Bill of Lading now. We are happy to serve this demand with ECO Delivery on an instant basis”, Emilio de la Cruz adds.

Like Inditex, Maersk has the ambitious climate target to become a net zero company across all business areas until 2040. Besides using ECO Delivery for all its ocean cargo under Maersk care, Inditex is also boosting multimodal transport and is collaborating in a new rail solution pilot of Maersk, RENFE and Cepsa in the South of Spain which was launched this summer. These close collaborations are essential in order to deliver on our ambitious, mutual decarbonisation goals.

Inditex will fund the university education of 50 female textile industry workers in Bangladesh for five years

Inditex and the Asian University for Women have launched a new scholarship program to support the academic training of female textile factory workers in Bangladesh. Inditex will allocate €3.75 million to fund this initiative, enabling 50 women to access pre-university and university education over the next five years, providing them with new opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Inditex reports strong Q1 2024 performance

Inditex's sales grew by 7.1% in Q1 2024, reaching €8.2 billion. Sales in constant currency rose by 10.6%. Gross profit increased by 7.3% to €4.9 billion, with a gross margin of 60.6%. Operating expenses increased by 6.4%, below the sales growth rate. EBITDA rose by 8% to €2.4 billion, while EBIT grew by 10.3% to €1.6 billion. Net income saw a 10.8% increase, reaching €1.3 billion.

Recover™ secures multi-year recycled cotton agreement with H&M

Recover™ has signed a multi-year agreement with H&M to support the integration of its recycled cotton fiber, RCotton, for use in H&M’s products. Since early 2024, H&M and Recover™ have collaborated on product development, which now enables scaled commercial introduction of Recover™ mechanically recycled cotton into H&M’s collections.

GORE-TEX® KIDSWEAR launches innovative membership scheme for kids’ jackets

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Toray develops recycling technology that retains carbon fiber strength and surface quality

Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that it has developed a recycling technology that can decompose diverse carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) made from thermosetting resins while retaining the strength and surface quality of those fibers. The company drew on this technology to create a nonwoven fabric employing recycled carbon fibers.

Panty liners prevent bacterial vaginosis

Worldwide, almost one third of women of childbearing age suffer from bacterial vaginosis. This is when the sensitive microbiome of the vagina becomes unbalanced. Such a disorder of the vaginal flora can cause urogenital infections, abscesses on the ovaries or fallopian tubes or premature births. This significantly increases the risk of infertility in women and of contracting a sexually transmitted disease or HIV.

PERFORMANCE DAYS sets benchmarks with record attendance & strong industry presence

With around 4,500 professional visitors and 515 exhibitors, PERFORMANCE DAYS closed its doors on October 30, 2025, after two highly successful days in Munich. Expanded show areas, an international audience, a top-class Expert Talks program, and an inspiring DAY 0 Conference with an innovative concept underlined one thing clearly: PERFORMANCE DAYS has become the leading business platform for the functional textile industry.