Climate Change Data

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

• Environmental issues
• Employee concerns
• Social concerns
• Respect for human rights
• Fight against bribery and corruption
• Animal Welfare

Environmental Achievements

• Supplier Code of Conduct implemented in all supplier contracts, ensuring compliance with environmental protection laws and international standards.
• 1% return rate, minimizing transportation related to returns.
• Development of a Carbon Footprint Action Plan to reduce CO2 emissions.

Social Achievements

• Employee turnover rate decreased by 1 percentage point to 19%.
• Pilot project initiated for modern workstation equipment.
• Preventive health measures implemented (flu shots, eye exams, ergonomic equipment, fitness center subsidies).
• Approximately 215,000 customers donated 26 million bonus points to 87 animal organizations.
• Approximately EUR 163,000 donated to various animal organizations via the "zoolove" private label.

Governance Achievements

• Implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including revision of the zooplus data protection directive and employee training.
• No lawsuits against zooplus for unfair behavior, and no reports of suspicion to the whistleblower hotline.
• Regular compliance awareness campaigns conducted.

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

• Potential negative environmental impacts from raw materials in the supply chain (palm oil, overfishing, wood).
• Potential human rights violations in the supply chain (forced labor, child labor).
• Risk of corruption and antitrust incidents in the global supply chain.
• Risk of insecure data storage and processing.
• Maintaining equal representation of women in management positions.

Mitigation Strategies

• Implementation of the zooplus Supplier Code of Conduct with regular reviews and potential termination of business relationships for non-compliance.
• Compliance with EU Timber Regulation requirements.
• Collaboration with service providers to optimize logistics and reduce CO2 emissions.
• Use of parcel routing and parcel builder systems to optimize logistics and reduce waste.
• Responsible and lawful corporate governance, including a Code of Conduct and annual training courses.
• Double-checking in the procurement department and a whistleblower hotline.
• Regular penetration tests and compliance with data protection regulations.
• External data protection officer and data protection coordinator.

Supply Chain Management

Responsible Procurement

• zooplus Supplier Code of Conduct
• Compliance with EU Timber Regulation

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: GRI (as a guideline)

Third-party Assurance: PricewaterhouseCoopers GmbH WPG (limited assurance)

Sustainable Products & Innovation

• zoolove private label (10% of sales donated to animal organizations)

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

• Environment
• Social
• Animal Welfare
• Governance

Environmental Achievements

• Reduced logistics cost ratio in relation to sales by expanding logistics capacity and optimizing cost calculation relative to parcel value.
• One-third of goods procured from suppliers participating in a pilot project for direct procurement, resulting in shorter transport distances and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
• Very low return rate of 1%, minimizing CO2 intensity in mail-order business.

Social Achievements

• Launched "20 years of zooplus" campaign, increasing brand awareness on social media.
• Employee turnover rate decreased by three percentage points to 16.4%.
• Improved office facilities and offered health initiatives (flu shots, eye examinations, subsidized fitness centers).
• zooplus charity brand donated over EUR 430,000 to animal welfare organizations, plus an additional EUR 150,000 for the company's 20th anniversary.

Governance Achievements

• Appointed Andreas Maueröder as new Chief Financial Officer.
• Issued a Declaration of Conformity regarding the recommendations of the Government Commission on the German Corporate Governance Code.
• Conducted an efficiency review of Supervisory Board activities.

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

• Slight decline in sales retention rate.
• Effects from the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation on the acquisition and retention of new customers.
• Potential failure of a single major IT component.
• Brexit's potential impact on sales in Great Britain.
• Potential negative economic developments impacting business.
• Increased competition in online pet supplies market.

Mitigation Strategies

• Enhanced focus on customer retention and a better direct marketing approach.
• Disaster recovery measures in the event of IT failure.
• Appropriate measures to avoid risks associated with Brexit (e.g., larger fulfillment center in UK).
• Investing in logistics capacity, IT, data analysis, product range, and customer loyalty to secure market leadership.

Supply Chain Management

Supplier Audits: Regularly reviewed by zooplus AG

Responsible Procurement

• zooplus Supplier Code of Conduct

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: GRI (partially)

Third-party Assurance: PricewaterhouseCoopers GmbH WPG (limited assurance)

Sustainable Products & Innovation

• Private label brands with focus on sustainability and animal welfare

Awards & Recognition

• Online shop award in Italy and the Netherlands

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

• Environmental issues
• Employee concerns
• Social concerns
• Respect for human rights
• Fight against bribery and corruption
• Animal welfare

Environmental Achievements

• Launched a pilot project to develop direct procurement methods with selected suppliers, reducing transportation routes and CO2 emissions by one-third in 2020.
• Switched to 100% recycled filling materials for parcels, significantly reducing the CO2 footprint of packaging materials.
• Some warehouse and administrative locations operate using 100% renewable energy.
• Digitized customer correspondence and switched to digital invoicing.

Social Achievements

• Paid a special bonus to all direct employees at the end of 2020 in appreciation for their work.
• Reduced employee turnover rate from 16.4% in the previous year to 11.1% in 2020.
• Implemented flexible home office solutions and a hygiene and safety concept for the workplace during the pandemic.
• Offered preventative measures for employee health, such as flu vaccinations and ergonomic workstation equipment.

Governance Achievements

• Established a compliance management system (CMS) based on IDW PS 980, focusing on data protection, antitrust law, and anti-corruption.
• Expanded the compliance department in 2020.
• No legal proceedings were brought against zooplus for unfair conduct in 2020, and no suspicious activity reports were submitted via the whistleblower system.

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

• Environmental burdens in the supply chain related to raw material cultivation and processing (palm oil, fish, wood).
• Potential for human rights violations in the supply chain.
• Risk of corruption and antitrust incidents in global sales markets.
• Data protection risks associated with handling vast customer data.

Mitigation Strategies

• Requires suppliers to commit to the zooplus Supplier Code of Conduct, including compliance with environmental and social standards.
• Regularly reviews supplier compliance with the Code of Conduct.
• Complies with EU Timber Regulation requirements for legally sourced timber products.
• Formulated binding guidelines for antitrust and corruption in the company Code of Conduct.
• Provides annual training courses on corruption and price fixing.
• Established a compliance management system (CMS) with preventive, detection, and response measures.
• Expanded the data protection team and implemented training courses for employees.

Supply Chain Management

Responsible Procurement

• zooplus Supplier Code of Conduct

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: GRI (as a guideline)

Third-party Assurance: PricewaterhouseCoopers GmbH WPG (limited assurance)

Sustainable Products & Innovation

• Products from the "Wolf of Wilderness" product line with fully recyclable packaging.