Packaging & Logistics

HUGO BOSS is always looking for new ways to reduce CO₂ emissions in the long term and conserve natural resources. In addition to more sustainably designed packaging made of certified and/or recycled material, logistics and transport processes are also important when it comes to improving our ecological footprint. They can be optimized by reorganizing transport routes or using new technology.

Status quo of our packaging target

-3%

single-use plastic used in packaging

Our target by 2030: 30% reduction compared to 2023 (per item, no hangers and suit bags)

How we select our packaging materials

At HUGO BOSS, packaging is used at various stages in the value chain and for different reasons. For example, we protect our goods in accordance with our premium standards, bundle units of orders and transport, present our goods in retail stores and hand them over to our customers in shopping bags or gift packaging. In doing so, we rely on recycled plastics and FSC®-certified paper, for example. In order to meet our high standards, we have developed a Packaging Guideline with material specifications and targets.

HUGO BOSS Sustainable Packaging Guideline

HUGO BOSS Environmental and Forest Conservation Policy

Sales packaging

Examples of sales packaging include shopping bags and gift boxes. Here, HUGO BOSS uses FSC®-certified paper almost exclusively. We have also eliminated the use of plastic lamination, so the packaging can be recycled after use. Wherever possible, we use recycled material from households or offices, so-called post-consumer recycled material, for our shopping bags. Products such as suits are sold to our customers in reusable garment bags to protect the clothing. Recycled material is used almost exclusively for their production.

Product packaging

For product packaging such as for bodywear, socks, shoe boxes we use FSC®-certified paper (with a predominantly recycled content). Moreover, we are working on our plastic packaging to include post-consumer recycled content. As a matter of principle, we always take care to reduce the amount of material used.

Transport packaging

The HUGO BOSS logistics centers work on reusing cardboard packaging. In 2025, 867 tons of cardboard boxes were reused for shipping from German distribution centers which equals 46% of the transport packaging used for shipping goods. We were able to increase the share of reused cardboard boxes through a newly introduced, AI‑supported quality inspection station. Newly procured cardboard packaging for shipment from our central distribution centers in Germany is certified. On average, the boxes consisted of 80 % recycled material in the past year. HUGO BOSS also optimizes the use of plastic packaging. For example, almost 90 % of our protective garment covers are made from recycled materials. Our clothes hangers for transportation are made of over 90% recycled material and parts of them are returned to a hanger cycle for multiple use or are recycled. We also set requirements for our producers through clear specifications in our packaging regulations for transport.

Logistics

HUGO BOSS produces its products worldwide. To meet the complex sourcing requirements, our logistics processes involve all relevant modes of transport: road transport, sea freight, air freight, combined traffic (sea and air freight), and rail traffic. Wherever our delivery promises to our customers allow it, we prefer the mode of transport with the smallest CO2 footprint.

1. Production
HUGO BOSS enables its producers to use supply chain software that optimally plans the on-time delivery of freight shipments in order to use the most efficient transport mode for each deal. In addition, it suggests the optimal cardboard packaging and packing method in order to save packaging materials. This system helps to optimize the efficiency of our transportation mode and to limiting CO2 emissions.

2. Shipping
Together with our transport service providers, we improve transports through efficient route planning and consolidation of shipments. Preference is given to the most CO2-efficient means of transportation, such as the ship. We only use air freight for extremely time-critical customer needs. Combining sea and air freight is a potential compromise here: We start with the ship and can thus complete a large part of the route with the lower-emission means of transport.This is followed by the transfer to the airplane and the last distance is completed with the faster means of transport, thus saving time.

3. Handling
Goods consignments can often be consolidated to cut down on shipments. To optimize the utilization of shipping container capacity, for example, we often group many small shipments into larger units abroad.

4. Distribution
Our goods are increasingly transported directly to the markets without making a detour via the central distribution centers in Germany. This enables us to shorten transport routes enormously. For the shipment of our goods, we rely on recycled and reused transport packaging to avoid waste. In addition, when procuring new cardboard packaging for goods shipped from Germany, we only use certified cardboard packaging.

Targets in the field of packaging and logistics

30% REDUCTION OF SINGLE-USE PLASTIC BY 2030

Our target by 2030 is to reduce the amount of single‑use plastic used in our packaging per item by 30% compared to 2023. Hangers and suit covers are excluded from this target. To achieve this, we are assessing, for example, which shipments can be carried out without garment protection bags or where the size of the plastic films can be reduced. In addition, we are evaluating alternative materials to replace plastic.

Current status (2025): -3% (compared to 2023)
50% reduction in CO2 emissions (Scope 3, Categories 1&4) by 2030

We have set ourselves the goal of reducing Scope 3 emissions, which also include upstream transports (scope 3.4), by at least 50% by 2030 (in comparison to 2024). All scope 3 emissions – also including manufacturing of our products as a main driver - account for 95% of emissions across the company's value chain. For this reason, we strive to reduce our transport-related emissions, for example by optimizing transport flows and working closely with our transport service providers, thereby limiting our impact on the environment.

Current status (2025): -15% (compared to 2024)