Dennis van den Berg, Head of ESG at bol, talks about the choices, dilemmas and direction that have been shaped over the past year - and what that means for the years to come.

2024 was the year that bol became 25. What stands out for you?
“We have really made progress on our circular ambitions. Refurbished items are now among the new offers. Not hidden, but on the same page. We started with smartphones, laptops, tablets and smartwatches – and customers are responding positively. And the most important thing is: it is no longer a test. It is the start of something structural.”

At the same time, we see in the report that scope 3 – the CO2 emissions of the entire chain – has increased. What is your vision on that?
“That is the difficulty: our direct emissions (or Scope 1 & 2) have fallen sharply, 91.8% less than in 2018, but the CO2 emissions in the chain have increased. Mainly due to growth. Our responsibility lies where the greatest impact is - and that is with the products we sell. That is why we have focused strongly on data and collaboration in 2024: with reporting tools such as CDP, ImpactBuying and our Climate Hub, we help suppliers to gain insight into their emissions. Next year we will take the step towards reduction targets according to SBTi. That is necessary. And of course, we will focus on expanding refurbished and launching other propositions on the market that contribute to further reduction.”

The report emphasises the importance of ‘making circular shopping mainstream’. What does that mean?
“First of all, we help customers make different choices. And we ultimately want to move towards a more closed loopso fewer raw materials are used for new products. Refurbished is one circular example. Repair is another — 90,000 items have been successfully repaired in 2024. In addition, returns are given a second life via BuyBay, thrift stores or as a Return Deal, and we currently offer second-hand books and games. Last year, we sold more than a million products with our Good Choice label. But it doesn't stop there. We continue to research: how do we ensure that sustainable alternatives are just as logical and attractive as new?”

Let's talk about social impact. In 2024, you paid a lot of attention to Bollebozen, an initiative by bol to increase reading pleasure and digital skills of children and the internal programs aimed at more women and more inclusion. Sounds good, but how rooted is this at bol?
“In 2024, we have reached more than 800,000 children with Bollebozen — through language, reading and digital education. That's huge! Bollebozen organises various events around reading pleasure every year, mainly focused on children who do not always have access to sufficient reading material at home. In collaboration with organizations such as the Youth Education Fund, Bollebozen brings books to schools and families who do not always have the resources for this. In total, we donated more than 441,000 children's books to children in the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname in 2024. In addition to children's reading skills, we also focus on diversity and inclusion within Social Impact. In my opinion, these two elements go hand in hand: no inclusion, no diversity. At bol, inclusion is about wanting everyone to feel at home. Only then can you create equal opportunities. And that approach is paying off. For example, we have further expanded our Women in Product & Tech and Women in Leadership programs to ensure an increasingly better male-female ratio. The percentage of women in leadership grew to 43.4% last year, in Tech to 28%. We are not there yet, but the movement is happening. And the most important thing is: it is also deeply rooted in colleagues. They participate in discussions, guide us and challenge us. That is what you want.”

What do you see as the biggest challenge for the coming years?
“Scope 3 remains the biggest challenge. And chain transparency. In 2025, we will be calculating with supplier data on a large scale for the first time. That's when the real work begins: taking concrete steps together. And we will also look more deeply at the impact on nature. We must continue to learn, continue to improve. Sustainability is not a KPI that you tick off. It is a responsibility that we must take seriously every day.”

Want to know more?
Read the full Impact report here: