environment

good ideas for the environment

HEMA understands that climate change is a global problem and we realise we also bear a responsibility. Reducing our environmental impact is an important part of our sustainability strategy. Below, you can read about what HEMA is doing in terms of helping to prevent climate change, using water sustainably, preserving biodiversity and promoting a circular economy and the sustainable use of raw materials.

our approach

reducing CO₂ emissions

HEMA is committed to the CO₂ targets of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTI), a collaborative initiative to ensure that the targets of companies worldwide are aligned with the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement. By 2030, we aim to achieve a 75% reduction of our own CO₂ emissions and a 50% reduction in the rest of our supply chain. We measure our progress every year and publish a report. This helps us to keep track of the reductions we need to make and take required actions in time. 
In this document you can read more about our first CO₂ measurement in 2019.

using water sustainably and preserving biodiversity

HEMA has clear ambitions to reduce CO₂ emissions. However, the process of making products results in other environmental impacts, for example, in terms of water usage and biodiversity. In 2024, we are going to measure our impacts in these areas. Depending on the outcome, we are going to formulate a strategy to mitigate and reduce harmful effects. We will base our strategy on the Science Based Targets for Nature guidelines.

a circular economy and sustainable use of raw materials

HEMA tries to make all the products we design using sustainable raw materials. Our aim is to make all our products from 100% certified sustainable materials and ingredients in 2025 with quality marks for cotton, down, wood, paper, palm oil in cosmetics and food, cocoa, tea, coffee, meat, fish and dairy. These certification labels show customers what products are made of and helps them make sustainable choices. We also look for ways to improve our packaging and try to keep it to a minimum and use recycled or bio-based plastic wherever possible.

successful collaborations

Too Good to Go

HEMA stores in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium cooperate with Too Good To Go to help avoid having to throw away food. HEMA sells food products that are left over or almost expiring at a discount via the Too Good To Go app. In 2022, HEMA avoided 170,838 meals being thrown away. This is equivalent to 407,000 kg of CO₂ emissions, which represents the average yearly CO₂ emissions* caused by 45 inhabitants of the Netherlands. We hope to reduce food wastage even further.

going circular with Wolkat

HEMA collects used textiles in more than 17% of our stores. All the used textiles, shoes and accessories collected in this way are given a second life in a new form in cooperation with Drop & Loop, part of Wolkat. Wolkat is the only circular textile processing organisation in the world that handles every step of the process itself: sorting, recycling, spinning and weaving. The collected textiles are sorted by hand in Tangier according to material type and colour and then spun into new yarns. Wolkat then uses the recycled yarn to make new clothes and other textile products. All the used textiles collected at HEMA are processed by Wolkat in this way. Our ultimate aim is to make HEMA products from the used textiles we collected at HEMA stores. Read more here: Collection points for used textiles at HEMA.