The multimarken fashion retailer Peek & Cloppenburg has published its first sustainability report, which is divided into three main areas: “People & Company”, “Product & Customer” and “Planet & Climate”. The PEEK & Cloppenburg group of companies employs 16,000 employees in 16 countries, 70 percent of them at the Düsseldorf sub -Group, which means that it falls among the supply chain law that has been in force since 2023.
The group itself describes the challenging position through the distribution of not only own, but also foreign brands (Hugo Boss, PVH (UA Tommy Hilfiger) and bestseller (UA Jack & Jones): “Our cooperation with international brand partners is based on clear specifications that are defined in the behavioral code for suppliers. Influence on the materials used.
In the exclusive brands of the group (Jake’s, Review, McNeal, Christian Berg, Montego and others), the subsidiary IBC determines the design, material procurement and production. “This influence enables us to select resource -saving materials and to check and establish social and ecological standards in the value chain,” said Peek & Cloppenburg.
Sustainability seal
The label “We Care Together” introduced by the company in 2022 offered it to be simplified and uniform information on sustainability and characterized products that met its requirements and had independent third parties through sustainability seals. It was discontinued at the end of 2024, since “gradually determined by EU standards for the labeling of sustainability information [werden]. We welcome this development, ”says the company, which will now only identify seals and certification of independent third parties directly on the product.
The Amfori behavioral code, for example, which so far only applies to the P&C exclusive brands. The progress is therefore slow; By the end of 2025, only one fifth (20 percent) of the foreign and exclusive range range should have a third party recognized by the group recognized by the group. This includes licensed fibers such as Lenzing’s Tencel or Ecovero as well as certified materials, as stated in a footnote.
It is positive that the seal catalog is re -evaluated annually to “ensure that it meets our claim to quality, relevance and traceability”. This led to the example that both the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) and Cotton Made in Africa (CMIA) were excluded in 2023. “Both standards promote more environmentally friendly cultivation methods, but due to the mass balance sheet, no physical traceability of the cotton in the end products can ensure, which is not sufficient for our claim to transparency,” explains the group.
This consistent behavior can also be seen at the beginning of every new business relationship: “Already when onboarding the brands or suppliers record and document scope certificates of the certificates or the licenses at brand level. We ensure that the entire supply chain of the product is certified. Since these certificates are only valid for one year, we demand them every year,” explains the company.
Share of certified products
According to Peek & Cloppenburg, the proportion of products with a sustainability seal with a sustainability seal was 11 percent at the end of 2024, an increase of 7 percent in 2023. With the exclusive brands, the proportion of 17 percent is somewhat higher, with around 90 percent of them being certified according to the Organic Cotton Standard (OCS) and RCS.
It is positive that Peek & Cloppenburg addresses problems in his first sustainability report and shares solutions, such as the 20 percent goal for the foreign and exclusive range range, which is intended to have a third party that is recognized by the company. “In order to fully implement it by the end of the year, we have to simplify the processes to query and install certificates. They are currently still associated with a high manual and time effort – especially in the implementation with external brands,” admits the group.
“By optimizing the flow of information between all participants, we can check sustainability information more easily in the future and display it faster. In addition, we will prefer products with seals of independent third parties when shopping, go to the exchange with our partners and improve our data systems and reviews,” adds the company.
Materials
It is also positive that the Peek & Cloppenburg group, contrary to the general trend, despite the well-known disadvantages of new, fossil art fibers, still manages to use a share of around 50 percent plant fibers (such as cotton) for both exclusive and external brands. The proportion of synthetic chemical fibers (such as polyester) is around a third far below the industry average.
The short -term goal of the group is “the proportion of certified cotton in our exclusive range by the end of 2025 to 50 percent [zu erhöhen] and also the use of certified animal fibers in our range of foreign and exclusive brands [zu erweitern].. ” Here it would be useful to mention the long -term goal that hopefully confirms the positive tendency away from synthetic materials.
The difficult position in which Peek & Cloppenburg is located through the relatively large proportion of external brands (see) and the difficulty of enforcing strict standards for their own brands for them can also be seen in the material Kashmir: While the proportion of certified cashmere in the case of the own brands was 92 percent, this achieved only 4 percent for external brands. By the end of 2025, the company is aiming for 80 percent in the foreign and exclusive range range, which seems rather unlikely given the great discrepancy.
But here too the company is honest and admits hurdles: “Despite our ambitions, the implementation of sustainability standards in our range requires time as well as careful planning and close coordination with our partners.”
“The long lead times in purchasing are an essential factor – collections are usually ordered one year in advance. In addition, internal processes have to be adapted and coordinated with our brand partners,” it says transparently.
“Due to their specific fiber properties, materials such as recycled polyester or organic cotton cannot simply be used instead of the original materials. Instead, the material composition and the design of the articles often have to be redesigned. This process requires a step -by -step approach that is accompanied by regular training and continuous knowledge. To set ambitious goals and use the knowledge gained for the further transformation of our range, ”promises the group.
The down program, which has completely removed the products with non-certified down from this year; The company offers external branded products with 100 percent according to the responsible Down Standard (RDS) certified down. Since last year it no longer has been used in exclusive brand products, but work with synthetic alternatives, which is clearly the most animal -friendly option.
Transparency in the supply chain
The third area of the report, “transparency in the supply chain”, continues also clearly: Peek & Cloppenburg works on Tier 1 level with 135 procurement partners: inside and 209 factories; 45 percent of exclusive brand products are produced in Bangladesh and 21 percent in China. Turkey (13 percent), Cambodia (8 percent), India and Vietnam (6 percent each) follow as third, fourth, fifth and sixth most important procurement locations. “We have complete transparency about our animal 1 suppliers and their standards,” explains the company.
Much of the procurement for IBC takes place via Global Management Services (GMS), a procurement agency of the P&C group with headquarters in Dubai and branches in Hong Kong, Bangladesh and Turkey. The CSR departments of both IBC and GMS check the compliance with standards and the implementation of social and ecological measures.
“In the next step, we want to expand this transparency to animal 2 suppliers to ensure that materials and raw materials are also given fair and resource-saving conditions,” is the company’s goal.
Other goals and more on the areas of “People & Company”, “Planet & Climate” and circular economy can be found in the full sustainability report, which can be downloaded from the company’s website.