How URBN Leverages Data Management to Support Its Sustainability Information  

Laura Sanders | January 17, 2025 | 3 minute read

We would love to hear from you.

Contact Us

How URBN Leverages Data Management to Support Its Sustainability Information  

| 3 minute read
January 17 2025
URBN’s Sustainability Journey
5:38

Known for its flagship fashion brands like Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and Free People, U.S.-based URBN strives to operate in a responsible way, consciously choosing its materials and partners. As part of its sustainability journey, URBN uses  Stibo Systems Platform (STEP) to support its product information management (PIM) process and share sustainability information with its consumers.  

Miriam Molino Sánchez, Head of Industry Practice at Stibo Systems, sat down with Morgan Lawrence, Program Manager – PIM at URBN, for a conversation about how URBN creates unique customer experiences and supports sustainability commitments with data. Following are some highlights from their conversation:  

 

URBN’s sustainability starting point: Its consumers  

“We have an amazing consumer research team who reached out to all our consumers to say: What's important to you? What does sustainability mean to you? We got an overwhelming response about the importance, especially with our younger consumers. We knew we had to figure something out.  

URBN has since grown a team that supports this both here in the U.S. and internationally. We knew we had all this information. It was very segregated. So, it was figuring out how do we build a process around this and how can we be more proactive about the information that we have that's spread out across all our supply chain management systems.” 

 

Managing sustainability data across different brands 

“All our brands definitely have their own flavor, and what we found is, at least from an URBN standpoint, we had largely the same workflow, the same data. We started with our EU team, specifically with Urban Outfitters, to say how can we capture a workflow around this so that we're pulling and syndicating all the information into the PIM. Instead of running a report to find we missed this data element, we can instead react more quickly in real time to say, we have to reach out to this vendor – we're missing this data element. What the STEP workflow is able to do is capture that real time, so that we can react in the moment instead of at the end of the day, at the end of the week. We're capturing it in that process.  

But with the workflow, each brand is going to have their own process, their own sustainability requirements and goals. That workflow allows us to create automation and diverge into different swim lanes within that workflow to say this is a required element in this workflow for Anthropologie, but it's not for Urban Outfitters. We can help one brand that's further along within the sustainability goals work within the same workflow. We've got that flexibility.” 

 

Impact of the sustainability initiatives 

“The impact that we're feeling most right now is with the teams that are starting to use our sustainability workflow in STEP. We're hearing a lot of excitement around how that's going to speed up their process and get more pertinent information to our customers. We want our customers to know that this is just as important to us as it is to them.  

So, it's trying to really help figure out that process that we can capture within our workflows, as we're all trying to figure out the data and the regulations on this. If we can at least build a process that helps make all this easier and allows us to adapt a lot faster, I think that's where we're really starting to feel the excitement and see the impact. It's just all opportunities.” 

 

Lessons learned: Start small and look at process   

“When we first started talking about sustainability goals, at least with our Urban Outfitters UK team, it was pie in the sky, like asking for everything under the sun. They think big, they have a lot of ideas, and it's great. We're excited that they're excited, but I think it's just such a huge problem to tackle, so try to carve out something small that you feel like you can get a handle on. 

I don't think that we have to figure this out all at once and right from the start. That's when we honed in on process because if we've got a good process, we know where the data is, we can pull the data in and look at the data as we go. The process will highlight issues in the data, strengths in the data.  

I would say to start small because it's a huge problem for retailers to figure out and tackle. What we've had success with so far is trying to look at the process – those handoffs – what are we doing today to highlight to our customers this is sustainable and to try and capture that.”  


Master Data Management Blog by Stibo Systems logo

Laura Sanders is a senior content marketing professional at Stibo Systems.

Discover Blogs by Topic

  • MDM strategy
  • Retail and distribution
  • Customer and party data
  • See more
  • Data governance
  • Manufacturing
  • Product data and PIM
  • Data quality
  • AI and machine learning
  • Supplier data
  • CPG
  • Financial services
  • Sustainability
  • GDPR
  • Location data
  • PDX Syndication
  • Customer Experience
  • Product Experience Data Cloud
  • Auto Classification
  • Cloud
  • Compliance
  • Customer Story
  • Location Data Cloud
  • Product Onboarding
  • Supplier Data Cloud
  • Sustainability Data

AI Adoption: A High-Stakes Gamble for Business Leaders

1/28/25

How Kramp Optimizes Internal Efficiency with Data Strategy

1/27/25

From Patchwork to Precision: Moving Beyond Outdated and Layered ERP Systems

1/27/25

Thriving Beyond NRF 2025 with Trustworthy Product Data

1/24/25

Building the Future of Construction with AI and MDM

1/23/25

Why Addressing Data Complexity in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Is Critical

1/17/25

How URBN Leverages Data Management to Support Its Sustainability Information  

1/17/25

How to Avoid Bad Retail Customer Data

1/6/25

Gen Z: Seeking Excitement Beyond Amazon

12/11/24

A Modern Guide to Data Quality Monitoring: Best Practices

12/10/24

CDP and MDM: Complementary Forces for Enhancing Customer Experiences

12/10/24

Using Machine Learning and MDM CBAM for Sustainability Compliance

12/3/24

How to Implement Master Data Management: Steps and Challenges

11/26/24

AAPEX and SEMA: The Automotive Aftermarket Industry’s Mega-Showcase

11/25/24

5 Key Trends in Product Experience Management

11/20/24

Solving Retail Data Fragmentation: The Key to Consistent Customer Journeys

11/11/24

Live Shopping: How to Leverage Product Information for Maximum Impact

10/22/24

Why Data Accuracy Matters for CPG Brands

10/16/24

Why Choose a Cloud-Based Data Solution: On-Premise vs. Cloud

10/15/24

How to Use Customer Data Modeling

10/10/24

How Master Data Management Can Enhance Your ERP Solution

9/23/24

Navigating Change: Engaging Business Users in Successful Change Management

9/20/24

What is Digital Asset Management?

9/11/24

How to Improve Your Data Management

9/3/24

The Future of Master Data Management: Trends in 2025

9/1/24

Digital Transformation in the CPG Industry

8/30/24

5 CPG Industry Trends and Opportunities for 2025

8/29/24

What is the difference between CPG and FMCG?

8/27/24

Responsible AI Relies on Data Governance

8/27/24

Making Master Data Accessible: What is Data as a Service (DaaS)?

8/19/24

6 Features of an Effective Master Data Management Solution

8/15/24

Great Data Minds: The Unsung Heros Behind Effective Data Management

8/13/24

A Data Monetization Strategy - Get More Value from Your Master Data

8/6/24

Introducing the Master Data Management Maturity Model

8/4/24

What is Augmented Data Management? (ADM)

7/31/24

Data Migration to SAP S/4HANA ERP: The Fast and Safe Approach with MDM

7/30/24

GDPR Data Governance and Data Protection, a Match Made in Heaven?

7/17/24

The 5 Biggest Retail Trends in 2025

6/10/24

The Difference Between Master Data and Metadata

5/26/24

Master Data Management Roles and Responsibilities

5/20/24

8 Best Practices for Customer Master Data Management

5/16/24

What Is Master Data Governance – And Why Do You Need It?

5/12/24

Guide: Deliver flawless rich content experiences with master data governance

4/11/24

Risks of Using LLMs in Your Business – What Does OWASP Have to Say?

4/10/24

Guide: How to comply with industry standards using master data governance

4/9/24

Digital Product Passports - A Data Management Challenge

4/8/24

Guide: Get enterprise data enrichment right with master data governance

4/2/24

Guide: Getting enterprise data modelling right with master data governance

4/2/24

Guide: Improving your data quality with master data governance

4/2/24

5 Tips for Driving a Centralized Data Management Strategy

3/18/24

What is Application Data Management and How Does It Differ From MDM?

3/18/24

5 Key Manufacturing Challenges in 2025

2/20/24

How to Enable a Single Source of Truth with Master Data Management

2/20/24

What is Data Quality and Why It's Important

2/12/24

Data Governance Trends 2025

2/7/24

What is Data Compliance? An Introductory Guide

2/6/24

NRF 2024 Recap: In the AI era, better data can make all the difference

1/19/24

How to Build a Master Data Management Strategy

1/18/24

The Best Data Governance Tools You Need to Know About

1/16/24

How to Choose the Right Master Data Management Solution

1/15/24

Building Supply Chain Resilience: Strategies & Examples

12/19/23

Shedding Light on Climate Accountability and Traceability in Retail

11/29/23

What is Party Data? All You Need to Know About Party Data Management

11/20/23

Location Analytics – All You Need to Know

11/13/23

What is Smart Manufacturing and Why Does it Matter?

10/11/23

Future Proof Your Retail Business with Composable Commerce

10/9/23

5 Common Reasons Why Manufacturers Fail at Digital Transformation

10/5/23

How to Digitally Transform a Restaurant Chain

9/29/23

Three Benefits of Moving to Headless Commerce and the Role of a Modern PIM

9/14/23

12 Steps to a Successful Omnichannel and Unified Commerce

7/6/23

CGF Global Summit 2023: Unlock Sustainable Growth With Collaboration and Innovation

7/5/23

Navigating the Current Challenges of Supply Chain Management

6/28/23

Product Data Management during Mergers and Acquisitions

4/6/23

A Complete Master Data Management Glossary

3/14/23

4 Ways to Reduce Ecommerce Returns

3/8/23

Asset Data Governance is Central for Asset Management

3/1/23

4 Common Master Data Management Implementation Styles

2/21/23

How to Leverage Internet of Things with Master Data Management

2/14/23

Manufacturing Trends and Insights in 2025

2/14/23

Sustainability in Retail Needs Governed Data

2/13/23

NRF 2023: Retail Turns to AI and Automation to Increase Efficiencies

1/20/23

A Quick Guide to Golden Customer Records in Master Data Management

1/9/23

Innovation in Retail

1/4/23

Life Cycle Assessment Scoring for Food Products

11/21/22

Retail of the Future

11/14/22

Omnichannel Strategies for Retail

11/7/22

Hyper-Personalized Customer Experiences Need Multidomain MDM

11/5/22

What is Omnichannel Retailing and What is the Role of Data Management?

10/25/22

Most Common ISO Standards in the Manufacturing Industry

10/18/22

How to Get Started with Master Data Management: 5 Steps to Consider

10/17/22

What is Supply Chain Analytics and Why It's Important

10/12/22

An Introductory Guide: What is Data Intelligence?

10/1/22

Revolutionizing Manufacturing: 5 Must-Have SaaS Systems for Success

9/15/22

An Introductory Guide to Supplier Compliance

9/7/22

Digital Transformation in the Manufacturing Industry

8/25/22

Master Data Management Framework: Get Set for Success

8/17/22

Discover the Value of Your Data: Master Data Management KPIs & Metrics

8/15/22

Supplier Self-Service: Everything You Need to Know

6/15/22

Omnichannel vs. Multichannel: What’s the Difference?

6/14/22

Create a Culture of Data Transparency - Begin with a Solid Foundation

6/10/22

What is Location Intelligence?

5/31/22

Omnichannel Customer Experience: The Ultimate Guide

5/30/22

Omnichannel Commerce: Creating a Seamless Shopping Experience

5/24/22

Top 4 Data Management Trends in the Insurance Industry

5/11/22

What is Supply Chain Visibility and Why It's Important

5/1/22

The Ultimate Guide to Data Transparency

4/21/22

How Manufacturers Can Shift to Product as a Service Offerings

4/20/22

How to Check Your Enterprise Data Foundation

4/16/22

An Introductory Guide to Manufacturing Compliance

4/14/22

Multidomain MDM vs. Multiple Domain MDM

3/31/22

How to Build a Successful Data Governance Strategy

3/23/22

What is Unified Commerce? Key Advantages & Best Practices

3/22/22

How to Choose the Right Data Quality Tool?

3/22/22

What is a Data Domain? Meaning & Examples

3/21/22

6 Best Practices for Data Governance

3/17/22

5 Advantages of a Master Data Management System

3/16/22

A Unified Customer View: What Is It and Why You Need It

3/9/22

Supply Chain Challenges in the CPG Industry

2/24/22

Top 5 Most Common Data Quality Issues

2/14/22

What Is Synthetic Data and Why It Needs Master Data Management

2/10/22

What is Cloud Master Data Management?

2/8/22

How to Implement Data Governance

2/7/22

Build vs. Buy Master Data Management Software

1/28/22

Why is Data Governance Important?

1/27/22

Five Reasons Your Data Governance Initiative Could Fail

1/24/22

How to Turn Your Data Silos Into Zones of Insight

1/21/22

How to Improve Supplier Experience Management

1/16/22

​​How to Improve Supplier Onboarding

1/16/22

What is a Data Quality Framework?

1/11/22

How to Measure the ROI of Master Data Management

1/11/22

What is Manufacturing-as-a-Service (MaaS)?

1/7/22

The Ultimate Guide to Building a Data Governance Framework

1/4/22

Master Data Management Tools - and Why You Need Them

12/20/21

The Dynamic Duo of Data Security and Data Governance

12/20/21

How to Choose the Right Supplier Management Solution

12/20/21

How Data Transparency Enables Sustainable Retailing

12/6/21

What is Supplier Performance Management?

12/1/21

How to Create a Marketing Center of Excellence

11/14/21

The Complete Guide: How to Get a 360° Customer View

11/7/21

How Location Data Adds Value to Master Data Projects

10/29/21

How Marketers Should Prepare for the 2023 Holiday Shopping Season

10/26/21

What is Supplier Lifecycle Management?

10/19/21

What is a Data Mesh? A Simple Introduction

10/15/21

10 Signs You Need a Master Data Management Platform

9/2/21

What Vendor Data Is and Why It Matters to Manufacturers

8/31/21

3 Reasons High-Quality Supplier Data Can Benefit Any Organization

8/25/21

4 Trends in the Automotive Industry

8/11/21

What is Reference Data and Reference Data Management?

8/9/21

What Obstacles Are Impacting the Global Retail Recovery?

8/2/21

GDPR as a Catalyst for Effective Data Governance

7/25/21

All You Need to Know About Supplier Information Management

7/21/21

Welcome to the Decade of Transparency

5/26/21

How to Become a Customer-Obsessed Brand

5/12/21

How to Create a Master Data Management Roadmap in Five Steps

4/27/21

What is a Data Catalog? Definition and Benefits

4/13/21

How to Improve the Retail Customer Experience with Data Management

4/8/21

Business Intelligence and Analytics: What's the Difference?

3/25/21

Spending too much on Big Data? Try Small Data and MDM

3/24/21

What is a Data Lake? Everything You Need to Know

3/21/21

How to Extract More Value from Your Data

3/17/21

Are you making decisions based on bad HCO/HCP information?

2/24/21

Why Master Data Cleansing is Important to CPG Brands

1/20/21

CRM 2.0 – It All Starts With Master Data Management

12/19/20

5 Trends in Telecom that Rely on Transparency of Master Data

12/15/20

10 Data Management Trends in Financial Services

11/19/20

Seasonal Marketing Campaigns: What Is It and Why Is It Important?

11/8/20

What Is a Data Fabric and Why Do You Need It?

10/29/20

Transparent Product Information in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

10/14/20

How to Improve Back-End Systems Using Master Data Management

9/19/20

8 Benefits of Transparent Product Information for Medical Devices

9/1/20

How Retailers Can Increase Online Sales in 2023

8/23/20

Master Data Management (MDM) & Big Data

8/14/20

Key Benefits of Knowing Your Customers

8/9/20

Women in Master Data: Kelly Amavisca, Ferguson

8/5/20

Customer Data in Corporate Banking Reveal New Opportunities

7/21/20

How to Analyze Customer Data With Customer Master Data Management

7/21/20

How to Improve Your 2023 Black Friday Sales in 5 Steps

7/18/20

4 Ways Product Information Management (PIM) Improves the Customer Experience

7/18/20

How to Estimate the ROI of Your Customer Data

7/1/20

Women in Master Data: Rebecca Chamberlain, M&S

6/24/20

How to Personalise Insurance Solutions with MDM

6/17/20

How to Democratize Your Data

6/3/20

How to Get Buy-In for a Master Data Management Solution

5/25/20

How CPG Brands Manage the Impact of Covid-19 in a Post-Pandemic World

5/18/20

5 Steps to Improve Your Data Syndication

5/7/20

Marketing Data Quality: Why Is It Important and How to Get Started

3/26/20

Panic Buying: Navigating Long-term Implications and Uncertainty

3/24/20

Women in Master Data: Ditte Brix, IMPACT

2/20/20

Get More Value From Your CRM With Customer Master Data Management

2/17/20

Women in Master Data: Nagashree Devadas, Stibo Systems

2/4/20

How to Create Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) Success for CPG Brands

1/3/20

Women in Master Data: Anna Schéle, Ahlsell

10/25/19

Women in Master Data: Morgan Lawrence, Infoverity

9/26/19

Women in Master Data: Sara Friberg, Acando (Part of CGI)

9/13/19

Improving Product Setup Processes Enhances Superior Experiences

8/21/19

How to Improve Your Product's Time to Market With PDX Syndication

7/18/19

8 Tips For Pricing Automation In The Aftermarket

6/1/19

How to Drive Innovation With Master Data Management

3/15/19

Discover PDX Syndication to Launch New Products with Speed

2/27/19

How to Benefit from Product Data Management

2/20/19