Why Decathlon is the best choice for both you and the planet
Decathlon creates quality sports products that put the environment first, so our natural spaces can be enjoyed by all, for generations to come
Spending time in the great outdoors is beneficial for both our mind and body, and no one understands this like Decathlon. Over the last 40 years, the sportswear brand has been striving to make an active lifestyle accessible for the many, by producing quality clothes and equipment at the lowest possible price.
Decathlon believes that everyone should be able to enjoy nature’s playground, including future generations. That’s why it’s working hard to adopt an eco-friendly approach at every level of business, from the way it produces clothes to how it operates as a global retailer.
By reducing its impact on the environment, Decathlon hopes to encourage a more sustainable way of living we can all benefit from. And when you support the brand by buying its products and adopting its ethos, you’ll be helping to do the same.
Reduce, reuse, recycle
Decathlon knows the challenges of climate change and resource depletion. That’s why its goal is to achieve 100% product development with an eco-design approach by 2026.
The decision makers at Decathlon have been focusing on ways to minimise environmental impact through a product’s entire lifespan. This has meant looking at every stage of the process, from early design all the way through the life cycle, ensuring that while every product maintains its performance, it can do so in a way that’s kinder to our planet.
As a result, Decathlon now has a rigorous strategy to ensure every new product adheres to this ethos – so, for instance, an item must decrease the environmental impact by 10% on the previous model, or at least 70% of its weight must be made from recycled polyester.
Here are just a few of the ways the brand has adapted its manufacturing process...
Cotton growing
By sourcing 16% of its cotton from organic farms, Decathlon can produce more hiking clothes without using harmful pesticides, chemicals and synthetic fertilisers. What’s more, growing organic cotton helps reduce any negative impacts on rivers and freshwater sources close to the farms and helps maintain the fertility of soil.
Decathlon is also proud to be a member of the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), the largest cotton sustainability programme in the world. With an impressive 76% of its cotton BCI certified, Decathlon can now say 100% of its cotton is sustainably sourced.
Recycled polyester
By melting down and recycling plastic bottles or re-spinning unwanted textiles to produce polyester fibre, Decathlon reduces the use of petroleum-based resources and finds new life for plastic material. By using recycled materials they are helping to reduce waste while still producing fabric which still has all the breathable, lightweight and thermal qualities but is much more sustainable. By working in this way, in 2019 alone, Decathlon recycled 32 million plastic bottles to make its Quechua fleeces.
Dope dyeing
To reduce the huge amount of water needed in traditional dyeing, Decathlon uses dope dyeing, which integrates the colour pigments into the fibre when manufacturing the thread itself, rather than being applied later through traditional dyeing techniques. The Biton process also minimises the amount of water used as it only dyes one thread instead of two.
Cotton recycling
Decathlon uses pieces of redundant clothing or manufacturing offcuts to extract fabric fibres, blending them with virgin cotton to create a yarn that will be knitted or weaved into a new garment. Currently, this meets 6% of its cotton needs, helping the brand to lower the environmental impact of cotton farming.
Second Life products
One of the main ways we can all help our planet is by consuming fewer raw materials. Upcycling your old clothes or choosing to buy second hand is a great way to do just that, as it helps prevent waste and encourages sustainability.
Decathlon’s Second Life products are made with this ethos in mind. Second Life items come from a range of areas within the business. They may have been purchased by a customer and returned, used by designers as testers or showcased in-store. While they are fully functional, they often can’t be sold due to minor defects such as scratches, stains or damage to the packaging.
A team of experts fully refurbishes every Second Life product, so Decathlon can offer them to customers at reduced prices but with the same warranty as a new product.
Built to last
It’s natural for your clothes to suffer from wear and tear throughout the years, especially if you’re using them for physical activity. That’s why Decathlon has many in-store workshops that help customers with repairs. Whether your product is under warranty or you’re just looking to upgrade it, the skilled professionals will fine-tune your equipment until it’s in prime condition again.
What’s more, Decathlon’s in-store and online technical support team is always on-hand to provide you with the information you need to properly use, maintain and repair your products, so you won’t ever have to replace them unnecessarily. You can even use the handy online chatbot to find out what spare parts are compatible with equipment such as your Decathlon bike, should you need to.