Press Release
February 19th, 2024
DECATHLON signs sustainable consumption pledge
[LILLE, FRANCE] Stronger steps must be taken to reduce human reliance on finite resources and promote circular, closed loop, economies. This is the position being taken by DECATHLON today, the world’s largest sporting goods retailer, as it signs the European Commission’s Sustainable Consumption pledge (formerly the “Green Consumption Pledge”).
Present in 70 countries and with more than 105,000 employees globally, DECATHLON is working to reduce its impact on the planet through the production, transport, distribution and use of the products it sells. New circular business models seeking to scale second hand products, buy back schemes, rental and subscription alongside repair and spare parts (DIY) to extend the lifespan of products are already being rolled out across a number of markets.
“The Sustainable Consumption Pledge represents our renewed commitment to changing the way we do business.
By decarbonizing our activity and developing a business model that promotes a circular economy, we can reduce the impact we have on the environment and lead the change in the industry to become a beacon of light for a more sustainable future.”
Anna Turrell, Chief Sustainability Officer,
DECATHLON.
The Sustainable Consumption Pledge encourages companies to ensure more responsible production and consumption practices. DECATHLON has signed 2 commitments for 2030: to decarbonize its activity and to promote 3 initiatives on circularity to support its customers in making more responsible consumption choices.
ABOUT DECATHLON
DECATHLON is the world’s largest sporting goods retailer, with over 1,700 stores and 105,000 teammates in more than 70 countries. With its integrated business model, DECATHLON specialises in the creation and production of innovative sporting goods designed to delight and move people through the wonders of sport all around the world.
MEDIA CONTACT
Olivier PEDRO-JOSE
Global Head of Media & Public Relations
Today, through the signing of the “Sustainable Consumption Pledge” alongside the European Commission, DECATHLON is making the following strong commitments:
Commitment No. 1 -
DECARBONIZE DECATHLON’S ACTIVITY in accordance with the Paris climate agreement
DECATHLON has committed to becoming Net Zero by 2050, and built a decarbonization trajectory based on the Paris agreement and in line with the Net Zero standard. DECATHLON’s decarbonization targets are (scopes 1, 2 & 3):
- 20% reduction in absolute CO2 emissions in 2026
- 42% reduction in absolute CO2 emissions in 2030 and net zero by 2050 (independent validation by SBTi pending)
Commitment No. 2 –
PROMOTE CIRCULAR INITIATIVES
Whether it is extending the lifespan of its products (whether it is through durability or reparability), encouraging second life, or rental, these actions can support the profound and necessary transformation of the company, as well as the adoption of more responsible modes of consumption by consumers.
REPAIR
For 40 years, with 1,712 workshops in stores, DECATHLON has helped with the repair and maintenance of sports equipment. DECATHLON is increasing the number of its workshops and setting up a website dedicated to repairs (DIY tutorials, spare parts). At DECATHLON, a repairable product meets very specific criteria (accessible instructions, spare parts available, product that disassembles, the price of the repair represents less than 30% of the purchase price). Our commitment on repair is:
- by 2026, 10% of turnover is generated by repairable products
BUY BACK
DECATHLON buys back more than 100 types of sport products to extend their lifespan by offering them another life through second-hand sales.
- In 2026, 800,000 products will be repurchased
RENTAL
DECATHLON is testing and deploying rental solutions in several European Union countries (France, Belgium, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands) for different types of products, mainly equipment in different sports such as bicycles, outdoor (camping, trekking), winter sports (ski) and summer sports (kayaks and stand up paddle) proposing different use cases such as subscription or short term rental)
- In 2024 we will deploy 3 more countries for subscription (Germany, Portugal, Poland…) and continue to build the conditions of a scalable deployment as well as disclosing results by 2026 or earlier. Rental is one of the key component of our circular economy strategy with high ambition in volume and value creation (€/eq kg CO₂)