What: Platforms such as Zalando, Asos, and Amazon are stepping up their sustainability game.

Why it is important: E-commerce giants are dropping brands that are not sustainable and that don’t respect labour laws.

Boohoo has been dropped from multiple e-commerce platforms included Asos and Zalando due to exploitative conditions for ferment workers. This has led to a third of Boohoo’s market value to be lost in just two days.

Zalando became the first platform to start using an online measurement tool called the Higg Brand and Retail Module, and it taking it seriously as they have already “offboarded” five brands from being able to use their platform. Zalando believes that only sustainable businesses will exist in the future, and they are trying to collaborate with player that are doing their part.

Online Giants such as Facebook, Google, and Amazon have been criticized for their monopolistic behaviours. As e-commerce is growing, Amazon is trying to appeal to sustainably aware shoppers through its Climate Pledge Friendly shopping programme.

According to a PwC customer insights survey from March 2021, 55% of people from 22 countries claimed they "shop from businesses that are supportive or protecting the environment". Many shoppers have become healthier and more safety conscious during the pandemic, and this integrity has expanded  how their habits impact the environment and society.

Could Platforms Force Badly Behaved Brands to Be More Sustainable