Protecting and preserving our environment—now and for future generations—is crucial to the DOUGLAS Group and our ESG strategy.
"Our climate strategy is driven by shared responsibility across the entire DOUGLAS Group—from energy use in our stores to transport in our supply chain and the impact of our e-commerce business. Every part of our value chain plays its part in reducing our environmental footprint.”
When designing our stores, we focus on combining aesthetics with sustainability. This includes entering into real estate management partnerships that support our sustainability goals and taking sustainability into account when furnishing our stores.
Green leases are special rental agreements with legally binding clauses on the responsible use of facilities by landlords and tenants. In close cooperation with our largest real estate partners, such as the ECE Group and Klépierre, we have already concluded 170 green leases. The agreements cover a wide range of sustainable measures, such as the use of energy-efficient technologies—including LED lighting, advanced heating and ventilation systems, and the use of renewable energy sources.
To increase the efficiency of our energy consumption, we have gradually introduced smart meters in our own stores. By monitoring electricity consumption, smart meters reveal where there is potential for savings. We use this information to implement targeted energy-saving measures.
When designing our furniture, we always consider durability and responsible use of materials. We also determine the ecological footprint of the materials used and include furniture with the best results in our furniture catalog. We also pay attention to sustainable solutions for dynamic elements in point-of-sale marketing: the materials are analyzed and optimized so that they can be used in the most environmentally friendly way possible.
Since 2016, the international headquarters of the DOUGLAS Group has been located in a LEED™ Gold-certified building in Düsseldorf-Flingern, which boasts increased energy, water, and material efficiency. The ecologically sustainable and particularly resource-efficient construction measures have reduced harmful effects on health and the environment. Other European headquarters, including those in Warsaw and Lille, are also certified and meet sustainability requirements in the categories of energy, water, waste management, and material selection.
Our measures to reduce emissions along the supply chain are applied at various levels – from packaging solutions to responsible procurement.
With our Code of Conduct, we are committed to protecting human rights and the environment—along the entire supply chain. In doing so, we also take into account the interests of our employees and all parties involved in the supply chain.
Since the 2024/25 fiscal year, we have been using natural brown shipping boxes almost exclusively instead of our former iconic mint-colored boxes. Avoiding color printing saves chemicals and water. The new boxes are also made from 81–85% recycled paper. In addition, we use foldable, reusable plastic boxes to deliver to our stores, thereby specifically reducing single-use packaging.
We also rely on responsible structures in our logistics. With our One Warehouse All Channels (OWAC) strategy, we are reducing the number of our warehouses and bundling processes more efficiently. For our OWACs, we value certifications such as BREEAM in order to promote energy-efficient and environmentally friendly logistics processes. We also use more sustainable delivery methods such as DHL GoGreen and are expanding our network of pick-up points – for example in Italy – in order to shorten transport routes and further reduce emissions.
Packaging has the greatest impact on waste generation for the DOUGLAS Group – both internally and among our customers. That is why our Packaging Policy for our corporate brands focuses specifically on sustainable product and transport packaging in order to reduce environmental impact and strengthen the resource cycle.
Responsible Sourcing
We specifically focus on responsibly sourced materials, such as FSC-certified packaging, to support sustainable forestry.
Waste Reduction & Recyclability
Our packaging is designed to generate less waste and be more recyclable. That's why we implement circular design: Recyclable, Recycled, Reusable.
