Bol.com launches ‘the sustainable store’
Hallmarks validated by Milieu Centraal hallmark guide
Consumers looking for sustainable products can now visit bol.com’s special online store. The store features the widest range of sustainable products in the Netherlands and Belgium. All 6,500 items are labelled with independent sustainability labels, refurbished[1] or made by social entrepreneurs, and are listed on one page directly accessible from the bol.com homepage. The independent seals of approval have been validated by Milieu Centraal. This way bol.com makes it easier for customers to make a conscious choice online. Bol.com plans to significantly expand its range of responsible products in the coming years. The platform is looking to collaborate with new and existing suppliers and sales partners to add new sustainable products.
Huub Vermeulen, Managing Director bol.com: “The holiday season is just around the corner and we are preparing for the busiest months of the year. Together with our colleagues, suppliers and sales partners, we have ensured that the largest responsible assortment is available at bol.com well in advance of the holiday season. With a special online store, we make it easier for our customers to choose from a more sustainable option when looking for a gift. We realize that 6,500 items compared to our total assortment is a modest first step. We hope to be able to expand the responsible assortment with tens of thousands of articles in the coming years. By 2022, bol.com aims to offer a sustainable alternative in every category where it can, from children’s clothing to personal care products.”
Collaboration Milieu Centraal
Bol.com makes it clearly visible to customers in the store which articles carry an independent quality mark. These validate that the items are produced more sustainably. To this end, bol.com is collaborating with the information organization Milieu Centraal. The labels score well in Milieu Centraal’s eco-label guide because they set reasonable to high sustainability requirements for a product and are independently verified.
Kirsten Palland, Milieu Centraal: “We think it’s a very positive development that a player like bol.com is dedicating itself to making more sustainably produced products more accessible. Not every consumer is familiar with this range or is aware that sustainable alternatives also exist. By launching the special store, it becomes clear whether an item has been produced with respect for people, animals and/or the environment. Milieu Centraal can then help people to use the item in an environmentally conscious way.”
Online visibility of sustainable articles
Online, it is often difficult to find out whether an item has been produced in a fair and sustainable manner, while in physical stores certification on the packaging is often clearly visible to consumers. Since last year, bol.com has been working with various market parties on the creation of a digital database in which sustainable quality marks and characteristics are linked to articles, so that web stores can automatically display this information with their offerings. Together with some of the parties involved, bol.com has now started a first pilot to realize this for the product group ‘personal care’. Thanks to this database, bol.com will be able to include even more articles in its sustainable store.
Ambition: climate-neutral shopping
It is bol.com’s ambition to offer climate-neutral shopping by 2025. This means a CO2 emission of 0 grams per package. Bol.com focuses on the activities in which it can take responsibility itself: from the moment items arrive at the fulfillment center to delivery to the customer’s doorstep, and everything in between. At the same time, bol.com wants to make sustainable living easier and more accessible for its 10 million customers in the Netherlands and Belgium. A varied and responsible assortment should contribute to this goal.
The sustainable store’ of bol.com can be found at: bol.com/sustainable-shopping
[1] Refurbished bears the independent quality mark of Techniek Nederland
