Our Climate Commitment
In 2018 at the request of states, the experts that make up the IPCC – the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – were tasked with studying the consequences of a global temperature increase of 1.5°C and how we could avoid crossing that threshold. They came up with several scenarios, including a temperature increase of 3°C caused by greenhouse gas emissions. This warming could lead to profound and irreversible changes in our ecosystems. To limit this rise to 1.5°C, we humans must reduce our carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 and become carbon neutral by 2050.
Decathlon identified reducing greenhouse gas emissions as one of our priority challenges in 2013. In 2017 we increased our oversight of emissions-measuring efforts and in 2018 we expanded these to our product suppliers.
In 2018 Decathlon decided to update our reduction target with guidance from the Science Based Targets (SBT) international initiative. A new target will be submitted to this panel of experts, which will then issue its opinion. The goal of this initiative is to limit the rise in temperatures to a maximum of 1.5°C worldwide. This goal serves as an opportunity for the company to think about our CO2 trajectory and adapt our corporate strategies to ensure that they are comprehensible and that they contribute to the effort necessary worldwide.
We believe that this impact should be managed as closely as possible to local emissions sources. That is why it is more important and strategic than ever to train our teams, learn to use measurement tools, and ensure ownership of approaches and action plans drawn up locally.