On October 07, 2026, Zalando and CEVA Logistics announced the introduction of AI-powered automated returns processing at key fulfilment facilities in Germany’s Greven and Poland’s Świebodzin with Sereact.
Sereact’s physical AI platform, Cortex, powers the dual-arm robotic systems which have gone live to autonomously process returned fashion items, the first phase of a wider effort to scale returns automation throughout Europe.
The handling of returns remains among the most complex processes in fashion eCommerce logistics. Items that are returned are often poorly packed, dishevelled. Standard robotic pre-programming cannot anticipate the unusual condition of the returned items. Sereact’s Cortex platform clusters previously unseen objects — identifying, grasping and sorting items dynamically without article-specific training or pre-determined article sets.
The AI-powered automated returns processing marks the first operational milestone in the strategic collaboration and is being offered as a robotics-as-a-service deployment.
It is well to be noted that Zalando was a strategic investor in Sereact’s Series B round in July, and the partners are collaborating to scale intelligent automation across their combined European logistics footprint.
The technology is meant to complement humans. The robotic system can take on highly repetitive handling and minimise physical strain on employees, enabling them to upskill into higher value roles in which human knowledge and critical thinking are essential.
According to SVP Logistics, Zalando, and Masood Choudhry, “at the heart of our collaboration with Sereact and CEVA is a fundamental belief: true innovation happens when technology and human potential advance together. By solving the most complex challenges in modern fulfilment today, we are actively shaping the future of e-commerce logistics for fashion and lifestyle”
Says Chris Walton, SVP Contract Logistics, CEVA Logistics,“One of the toughest challenges is returns handling, due to its extreme operational nature and scale, unpredictable volumes, manual quality checks, seasonality, value decay, and a disproportionately high cost per unit. Our Robotics-as-a-Service model classifies items faster, reduces manual touchpoints, and delivers consistent, predictable quality on a large scale. For our customers, this transforms returns from a cost driver into a controlled, high‑performance service.”
As per Dr. Ralf Gulde, CEO and co-founder of Sereact, “Returns are the hardest manipulation problem in fashion logistics. If a system only works on articles it has seen before, it does not work in a returns operation at all. Running this in production with CEVA at Zalando volumes is the strongest proof point we have.”
