German multi-channel retailer Otto has published its environmental targets for 2017.

Its voluntary action plan focuses on the deeper supply chain, including measures focused on the transparency and use of certain chemicals in early stage processing. The company also plans to expand its share of sustainable cotton from the Cotton Made in Africa program, which aims to improve working conditions by means of further qualification measures in the factories.

Other focuses include fair wages in the manufacturing countries. The Otto Group intends to complete the conversion of cotton volumes for propriety and licensed brands to be sourced in an environmentally friendly way, to halve the volume of CO₂ emissions in location and transport, and to complete the integration of suppliers in risky countries for the social program.

Otto is a member of the Alliance for Sustainable Textiles. The retailer wants to recruit new members to the AST in order for it to gain global influence in the textile sector, and improve environmental protection on a much wider scale.

In future Otto feels significant changes are necessary in the area of product manufacturing and consumption. The group expects a shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy, better environmental and social standards in global supply chains, different consumption patterns, and more sustainable products.