German and Swedish Webshops Share the Most Sustainability Content

Approximately 30% of European online webshops include content about sustainability, human rights, and animal welfare. The retailers in Germany, France, and Sweden provide the most insight into their operations. International marketplaces and sellers also perform better than national retailers.

In 2021 and 2022, the Amsterdam-based Centre for Market Insights studied over 800 prominent online merchants in 27 EU nations. The researchers examined websites of approximately 30 webshops in each country. Sellers who submitted information on Corporate Social Responsibility, such as sustainability and labor conditions, had their operations questioned further.

Social conditions

Most European internet stores do not provide information on sociological or environmental issues: only 36% of retailers are adequate. Retailers talk about sustainability the most (82%), followed by human rights (62%) and working conditions (42%). Anti-corruption, circularity, and animal welfare are topics that are rarely discussed.

According to the above graphic, the essential information is provided by webshops from Germany (70%), Sweden (60%), and France (57%). On the other hand, webshops in Lithuania, Malta, Latvia, and Cyprus provide the least and are at the bottom of the list.

90% sells at least one sustainable product

Only 1% of webshops have a fully sustainable product range, while most (92%) have at least one environmentally conscious product. However, 81% of web shops have a sustainability product filter on their websites.

Furthermore, 4% of European webshops publish CO2 emissions for various delivery options. This is remarkable because Dutch e-commerce advocate Thuiswinkel discovered that offering green delivery options encourages online shoppers to choose this.

The majority of webshops do not communicate about sustainable content and social responsibility. Therefore, e-commerce still has a long way to go.