Zalando Leaves SCA – Saami Council Welcomes the Decision

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Global giant exits SCA partnership citing human rights issues

Karin Nutti Pilflykt, forestry advisor at the Saami Council.
Photo: The Saami Council / Piera Heaika Muotka

The German fashion and e-commerce giant Zalando has announced it is phasing out forest raw materials from SCA in its packaging. The decision follows an independent review of environmental and human rights issues linked to forestry in northern Sweden. This move comes shortly after the world’s largest food company, Nestlé, took similar action.

The Saami Council welcomes the news, stating that it confirms what Saami representatives have long highlighted: that current forestry practices have serious consequences for reindeer husbandry.

"We view it as a positive step that major companies are finally seeing the reality of how forestry affects indigenous rights and Saami livelihoods", says Karin Nutti Pilflykt, forestry advisor at the Saami Council.

In an article from Dagens Nyheter (DN), SCA refers to Swedish legislation and certifications such as the FSC. Meanwhile, Zalando states that the role of the FSC also needs to be reviewed and has initiated a dialogue with the organization.

"The certifications could be sufficient if they were followed as written. But that is not where we are today", says Karin Nutti Pilflykt.

She specifically points to the planting of lodgepole pine (contortatall), which displaces ground lichen and makes winter grazing more difficult for reindeer. Research also shows that more than 70 percent of lichen-rich lands have disappeared in recent decades.

Zalando’s decision means that yet another global player is taking a stand against deficiencies in Swedish forestry—signaling that the market is now exerting clear pressure for change.