Memberships and alliances

We are part of the HR group at the German Academy of Technical Sciences [Deutschen Akademie für Technikwissenschaften] (acatech). Human resources experts from the business and scientific community discuss the opportunities and challenges of the digital transformation there and offer ideas for a wide-ranging societal debate on this topic. Representatives from the Otto Group and other members of the circle discuss topics such as how to design education in the STEM fields so that young people can codesign the digital transformation in a technically skillful manner. Or what contemporary continuing education measures should look like so that they can have an impact in rapidly changing work environments.

We are among the founding members of the “Business Social Compliance Initiative,” now known as amfori BSCI. Since 2004, it has enabled lasting partnerships between textile retailers and producers. Together, they aim to improve working conditions along the supply chain through independent audits. For example, in 2017, the Otto Group, in collaboration with amfori, organized a forum to strengthen the rights of Syrian refugees who had been working illegally in the Turkish textile industry up to that point.

Since 1987, we have been committed to the B.A.U.M. (German Working Group for Environmentally Conscious Management), a network for sustainable business practices, and we are part of the transformation towards a socio-ecological market economy. The Otto Group is represented on the advisory board.

We are part of the Business Council for Democracy (BC4D) network because the Otto Group considers the strengthening of our democracy and defending it against attacks to be an essential task. BC4D offers employees of the participating companies free training. They learn how to handle hate speech online and how to react, how to unearth and question targeted disinformation and conspiracies, and how to contribute to preserving the Internet as a space for diversity and tolerance.

Since 2018, we have been a member of Cascale, the largest industry alliance for the sustainable production of clothing, footwear and textiles. The goal of Cascale is to establish industry-wide sustainability standards and common tools within the sector. Examples are the Higg Index that helps us to conduct standardized measurements of ecological sustainability in the supply chain and the Material Sustainability Index we use to evaluate materials and fibers in our products. This increases transparency about production conditions, allows us to more accurately determine the environmental impact of our products, and enables us to gradually improve them.

We have signed the Diversity Charter, committing the Otto Group to a corporate culture characterized by mutual respect. We want to provide a work environment where respectful interactions are practiced, allowing employees to find their place and contribute their skills, regardless of age, ethnic origin and nationality, gender and gender identity, physical and mental abilities, religion and worldview, sexual orientation, and social background.

Since 2018, we have been supporting the initiative "Fashion for Good“. It connects start-ups and investors through an innovation platform to fundamentally transform the fashion industry. The goal is to establish technologies and business models that help make the textile industry more sustainable. As part of our membership, the Otto Group promotes the project "Sorting for Circularity," which uses artificial intelligence to optimize the sorting of reusable textiles and enhance circularity. Additionally, we support the project "Closing the Footwear Loop," which explores sustainable alternatives for shoe materials and optimizes take-back logistics for the reuse and recycling of shoes.

When sourcing furniture wood and paper, we rely on certified materials from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC^®), which has established strict standards for environmentally responsible forest management worldwide. As a member of the FSC since 2006, certified wood products are a key component of our goals and standards for more sustainable materials in our own and licensed brands, as well as with strategically relevant suppliers and catalog paper.

Since 2014, we have been a member of the "Fur Free Retailer" program of the animal welfare foundation "Vier Pfoten". Signatories commit not to using real fur. This goes beyond the self-commitment to fur-free practices and sends a clear public message for animal welfare.

In 2013, we played a major role in shaping the "Accord on Fire and Building Safety for Textile Factories in Bangladesh“. The agreement was developed in collaboration with the global trade union federations IndustriALL and UNI, the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC), the Workers Rights Consortium (WRC), and national trade unions. Since its implementation, it has greatly improved labor and safety standards in the South Asian country. It includes provisions for independent inspections of the involved textile factories in Bangladesh and outlines ways for workers to  voice complaints about inadequate protection at their workplaces. In 2021, international companies, including the Otto Group, and trade unions agreed on a new International Accord for occupational safety in the international textile and clothing industry and the continuation of the measures taken. In addition to Bangladesh, this aims to benefit other countries from the adopted regulations. In January 2023, the Otto Group consequently signed the Pakistan Accord, committing to better labor and safety standards in Pakistan.

We have been a member of the „Partnership for Sustainable Textiles“ since 2015 and have supported the initiative of the federal government from the very beginning. The alliance connects industry, trade, non-governmental organizations, and politics to make the global textile supply chain more social and ecological through common standards. The Otto Group has been actively involved in alliance initiatives such as the “Living Wage Lab” aimed at ensuring living wages and “Tamil Nadu”, which focuses on improving working conditions in the textile and clothing industry in the Indian state of the same name. Since 2017, the Otto Group has fulfilled its obligation to regularly report on objectives and measures. All information is reviewed by an external and independent party and published on the website of the Textiles Partnership. 

The Otto Group is committed to its social responsibility and aims to support families and children, in particular. To this end, it has partnered with the international non-governmental organization Save the Children to implement projects that aim to sustainably improve the lives of parents, families and young workers in supply chains, and to help factories become responsible and family-friendly employers. More information about the projects in China and Turkey can be found here (in German only).

We are intensively addressing the alignment of our climate goals and climate protection activities with the Paris Climate Agreement and the 1.5-degree target formulated therein. Since 2022, we have been working with the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), which has supported us in developing a Science-Based Target. The ambitious climate goal was validated by the SBTi in early 2024, providing an important foundation for advancing emission reductions based on scientific principles throughout the entire value chain.

The Stiftung KlimaWirtschaft (German CEO Alliance for Climate and Economy) is a non-profit foundation co-founded by Prof. Dr. Michael Otto in 2007, initially as Foundation 2°. The foundation is an initiative of CEOs, managing directors, and family business owners who actively advocate for the adherence to European and German climate targets. The foundation sees itself as a bridge-builder between politics, civil society, and business, aiming to mediate and shape the climate transformation. Ambitious climate protection and competitive business practices should not be contradictory; rather, they must become the driving force of an industrial and societal modernization project that sustainably and resiliently secures jobs, prosperity, and our future.

Since 2006, we have been a member of the non-profit organization Textile Exchange, collaborating with companies in the textile industry to further develop industry standards for sustainable materials and share knowledge. Textile Exchange is a standard-setting body for widely used material standards in the areas of organic, recycled, and animal-based materials, which we also utilize. Additionally, the organization aims to empower the textile industry to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fiber and raw material production by 45% by 2030. Through regular roundtables and the annual Textile Exchange Conference, we connect with other stakeholders to collectively drive a sustainable transformation of the industry.

In 2018, we signed the UN Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action to improve the climate impact of the fashion sector across the entire value chain. The Charter for Climate Action is part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The goal is to gradually reduce CO₂ emissions along the entire textile value chain, aiming for climate neutrality by 2050 to limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5°C. A holistic approach to climate protection, focusing on emission reduction in supply chains, is particularly emphasized in this globally operating initiative. In addition to actively participating in overarching committees and selected working groups, we support the comprehensive goals of the Fashion Charter to transform the fashion sector in the long term.

In 2020, we launched the ZukunftsWerte initiative. Together with other entrepreneurs, managers, politicians, and civil society representatives, we would like to take on the many challenges of the digital transformation. The important part in this is that we succeed with a digital transformation that is based on European values and the rules of the social market economy. In Europe, we need an autonomous digital economy that sets itself apart from the Californian and Chinese model. Ours should demonstrate responsibility to society and be sustainable and conserve resources. The Otto Group would like to use the initiative to contribute to implementing this model.