Is Zara the anti-Shein?

Twenty percent of the world’s clearwater pollution comes from textile production. Against this backdrop, Zara — the fast-fashion giant — has set bold targets to shrink its environmental footprint while maintaining its dominance. A strategy that could end up reshaping the entire industry?

In Chile, mountains of abandoned clothing in the Atacama Desert were said to be visible from space. This single idea was enough to step back and understand the state of fast fashion today. From 2000 to 2014, it largely contributed to doubling global clothing production. And by 2030, global apparel consumption was expected to rise by 63%, reaching 102 million tons. Textile production alone accounted for approximately 20% of global clean water pollution and 10% of worldwide carbon emissions. The fashion sector was the third-largest contributor to water degradation and land use, according to the European Environment Agency.

Zara sets the tempo

It was within this context that a brand familiar to everyone needed to reinvent itself. Zara was the titan of fast fashion. Its annual revenues spoke for themselves: €27.81 billion in 2025. Since 2010, the company had consolidated its dominance by reinventing the rules of the industry. Zara delivered runway-inspired styles at affordable prices with unmatched speed and precision. Its vertically integrated supply chain — fueled by over 700 in-house designers and a just-in-time production system — enabled new collections to move from sketchpad to store in under three weeks. A highly coordinated logistics network — including biodiesel-powered trucks and optimized air freight — ensured swift global distribution.

With 1,811 stores across 96 countries and a powerful digital ecosystem, Zara had built a brand that hardly needed traditional advertising. It drew customers through premium retail locations, immersive in-store experiences, and constantly refreshed collections. Its omnichannel strategy blended physical and digital retail into a seamless consumer journey, with curated online collections, real-time inventory updates, and live shopping broadcasts enhancing engagement and conversion. Zara undeniably set the pace for the entire industry.

The Entire Textile Industry Is Falling Behind

But how could it hope to navigate this new world using the formulas of the past? Most fashion companies — fast fashion or otherwise — were lagging behind their 2030 decarbonization goals. Many pushed back or abandoned their net-zero commitments. Next-generation materials designed to replace unrecyclable polyester represented only 1% of the fiber market in 2025, with projections indicating they could reach 8% by 2030 — roughly 13 million tons, well below industry demand. The most sustainable solution would have been to preserve existing clothing, but companies and consumers remained trapped in a cycle of overproduction and overconsumption. Some, like H&M, tried to incentivize garment returns by offering vouchers — which in turn encouraged further purchases.

In the luxury segment, several houses leveraged their positioning and customers’ lower price sensitivity to invest in more sustainable practices. Stella McCartney at LVMH was a pioneer in alternative materials such as plant-based faux furs. In 2021, France’s Chloé became the first luxury fashion house to achieve B Corp certification.

Zara and its parent company, Inditex, were fighting on a different front. They invested in recycling and the circular economy. In 2022, Zara launched its Zara Pre-Owned program, available in select key markets and designed to encourage garment reuse and recycling. This pioneering platform — accessible in stores, on the website, and through the mobile app — offered repair services, secure customer-to-customer sales, and garment donation options. Customers could request home pickup of clothing — regardless of brand — for delivery to partner organizations such as Caritas or the Red Cross. Collection containers were also made available in stores, offices, and logistics centers. Meanwhile, all stores phased out plastic bags, and hangers and tags were reused.

Zara to zero?

Inditex set ambitious targets: a 50% reduction in value-chain emissions by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2040. To achieve this, since 2023 the company no longer certified new suppliers reliant on coal and encouraged existing partners to transition to renewable energy. It also reduced its water consumption by 17% between 2020 and 2022 and targeted a total reduction of 25% by 2025 thanks to its Care for Water program, launched in 2021.

Inditex also committed to using only substances safe for humans and the planet. In 2013, it launched The List by Inditex, a pioneering initiative to classify and improve chemical products used in textiles. This program was made available to the entire fashion industry through the ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) platform.

Inditex also collaborated on new, lower-impact technologies, one of the most notable being a cold-wash industrial system developed in partnership with BASF.

Innovation to the Rescue?

The parent company of Zara also worked to develop more sustainable materials, including fibers sourced from:

• Traditional recycling:
It invested €70 million in 2023 to secure recycled polyester made from textile waste, and in 2024 signed an agreement with Infinited Fiber to purchase 30% of future Infinna™ production — a fiber made entirely from textile recycling.

• Next-generation fibers:
In 2024, BASF and Inditex introduced loopamid®, a nylon 6 made from 100% textile waste, which Zara used to launch its first jacket made entirely from the material.

• Organic or regenerative agriculture:
A supply chain largely supported through financial contributions.

Zara’s rise — from a small Spanish retailer to a global powerhouse — reflected an operational strategy perfectly aligned with its era and guided by a clear market vision. But the context had profoundly changed. Sustainability was no longer a peripheral concern: it was becoming a driving force redefining what strategic success meant in fashion and beyond.