Eco-design products
Outdoor 2022
Decathlon develops trekking and hiking products that have a lower environmental impact while remaining affordable, allowing us all to play an active role in helping preserve our natural playground.
Textile products with reduced environmental impact!
Dope dyeing, recycled polyester, recycled cotton, lyocell etc. All these technologies are used to develop Quechua and Forclaz's innovative fabrics. These methods, appropriated by Decathlon's industrial process and sustainable development teams, are then applied to the group's various brands. The above techniques are currently most suitable for hiking and trekking products, combining technical qualities and affordability, but will evolve over time so we can offer products that are even more eco-friendly.
Recycled polyester
Recycled polyester is made primarily from plastic bottles (which means they can be recycled) and is used in several of our products, from trousers to fleeces and, of course, T-shirts, such as the MH500 T-shirts which are made of 81% recycled polyester.
Women's MH500 hiking T-shirts: €10
Dope dyeing or mass pigmentation
All our black, polyester, hiking bottoms, for example our MH500 and MT500 trousers, are dyed using this dope dying technique. This helps reduce water pollution produced by traditional dyeing processes.
Men's MH500 hiking trousers: €30
Men's 2-IN-1 ZIP-OFF Trousers MT500 - €40
Organically farmed cotton
Traditional cotton cultivation practices have a significant impact on the planet and mankind. The use of organically farmed cotton helps reduce this impact and preserve soil vitality. Which is why, where possible, particularly in terms of affordability, we use 100% cotton fabric, for example, in the Travel 100 warm travel trekking shirt (€20); or a mix of organically farmed cotton and recycled polyester, for example, in the Travel 500 long-sleeved, convertible, travel trekking shirt.
Travel 500 travel trekking shirt: €30
Use of recycled cotton
Even organically farmed cotton requires intensive use of resources in order to obtain the virgin material. This is why, in an attempt to cut down on its use, our Decathlon teams try to integrate recycled cotton into their components. The fibres produced through recycling are shorter than those in the new material which renders the product rather fragile. Which is why it's combined with other materials to strengthen the weave of the fabric. Our NH500 hiking tank tops (€30) are therefore made from a mix of recycled cotton, lyocell (a fibre obtained from wood pulp), and recycled polyester. This helps create a soft, hard-wearing product with a reduced environmental impact.
Women's NH500 tank top: €10
Waterless dyeing
This innovative technique allows you to dye fabric using a machine which disperses the dye in a pressurized environment. It allows you to colour products using very little water. Our women's NH100 hiking trousers (€12) are dyed using this technique (except the black ones which uses dope dyeing.) The combination of recycled polyester and the use of more environmentally friendly dyeing techniques means that 90% of the product weight is produced using eco-design processes.
Women's NH100 trousers: €12
Today, when it comes to adopting environmentally friendly design processes for our products, the main limitations relate to product evaluation and materials, and more precisely, the choice of alternative materials. We need to be certain that materials used to replace the original components are less polluting and have less impact on the environment. To do this, we rely on external studies and tests, taking care to ensure the reliability and independence of the results. Decathlon has set itself the goal of using environmentally friendly design processes for all its brands and products by 2026.
The NH500 fresh shoe: a step towards a reduced CO2 footprint
Designing an environmentally friendly pair of shoes is a complicated challenge as you simply can't compromise on comfort or the quality of components. Up to 22% of the NH500 fresh shoe design is eco-friendly, thanks to the combined use of polyester and recycled polyurethane.
And, of course, they are light, comfortable and will keep your feet well protected on hiking trails. The sole has been specially developed to ensure good grip when hiking and they are also very breathable so will keep your feet dry even in warm weather.
NH 500 Fresh, in men and women's versions: €40
Forclaz
minimal
edition
Undyed
Our teams at Forclaz are constantly looking for new ways to reduce the environmental impact of our products. After in-depth examination of the CO2 impact of each product, the design team identified dyeing as one of the most environmentally damaging processes during all stages of a product's life, and decided to eliminate this step for three of the brand's iconic bivouac products. Our capsule collection of "Undyed" trekking products was born!
The products remain a natural greige: the colour of fabric before the dyeing process.
It's an approach that doesn't compromise on the technical qualities and which, compared to equivalent, non eco-friendly designs, helps us reduce our CO2 emissions by 15% for the tent, 13% for mattress and 26% for the sleeping bag (which also uses recycled polyamide).
This limited edition capsule collection allows the user to express his commitment to the environment in a unique way. The collection includes 3 products, acclaimed by trekkers for their technical qualities, and essential for a night in a bivouac.
And this is only the start! The brand is already working on new "Minimal Editions" products, having set itself the challenge of exploring new ways to reduce its carbon footprint.
-
Dome
trekking tent2 person
MT900 Minimal Editions
220€ -
Trekking
sleeping bagMT900 0°C
Down - Minimal Editions
170€ -
Inflatable
trekking mattressMT500 air
Minimal Editions
L: €45 / XL: €50
And what about old products?
Products are regularly updated based on feedback from hikers and sports enthusiasts. Revising products is also an opportunity for us to improve their environmental impact thanks to input from our product engineers. For example, the MH500 hiking jacket is still exactly the same in terms of technical features but, thanks to work carried out on material consumption and the jacket's main component, the new model's environmental impact has been reduced by 31%.
MH500 waterproof hiking jacket
(men and women's versions): €80
100%
of our
sports camping
and trekking tents
can be repaired.
Repairability is the future of products!
Extending a product's life statistically reduces its carbon footprint so why not do it?
Today, when designing our hiking and trekking equipment we factor in product repairability, along with technical features, from the outset.
All repair work is designed to be carried out in our workshops or at home, directly by users. To assist them with this process we have developed a range of repair tools and parts as well as content specially designed to guide and support them.
What is the difference
between repairability and repair rate?
Product repairability refers to possibility of being able to repair a product (or get it repaired) thanks to its design and/or the availability of spare parts.
The repair rate refers to the number of products repaired in the workshop while under guarantee.
Tents are currently the most repairable Quechua and Forclaz products and 50% of tents that are returned under guarantee in France are repaired rather than exchanged (35% worldwide).