Let's talk about sustainable development at DECATHLON

The standards and national regulations regarding health, safety, labour laws and environmental impacts are different in each of these countries.

In this context, we must ensure all our suppliers respect local regulations and international standards. That's why Decathloniens are recruited in manufacturing countries to conduct regular audits in the factories to ensure there is compliance with human rights, workers' health & safety and environmental standards, as well as preventing corruption.

At DECATHLON, you are either satisfied or satisfied: in store or on the website, our customers have the option to return their product if they are not fully satisfied with it. But what do we do with all these products? Product returns, due to a quality or safety issue, are transferred to our design teams, allowing them to analyse the source of the problem to solve it as soon as possible. When a product is returned new and in its original condition because of the wrong choice of size or model: we put it back in stock to be sold as new.

If product is returned used: we will resell this product second-hand after having inspected and/or repaired it. Our workshop technicians, by the way, have been playing a vital role in product repair for over 1986. When a product is not suitable for resale, it can be given to an association or, as a last resort, will be binned. Each store is responsible for managing its product returns. It is compulsory to destroy Personal Protective Equipment (bike, ski, horse riding helmets...) after being returned so as not to compromise users' safety.

DECATHLON's mission is to make the pleasures and benefits of sports sustainably accessible to the largest number of people. Our current business model has centred around providing appealing sports goods with technical features at the right price, making them accessible to the largest number of people.

We are conscious of the efforts we must make to develop a more sustainable model leading towards a circular economy. Still not the case today, even if some initiatives contribute to it, such as the sale of second-hand products, product hire, repairs, or the use of recycled materials in some of our products.

DECATHLON is committed to promoting and supporting the professional integration of people with disabilities locally. In France, Decathlon aims to guarantee the implementation of its eighth disability agreement signed with Mission Handicap and labour partners for 2023-2025. The new agreement is structured around four areas:
- Keeping people at work (priority focus)
- Integration, training and raising awareness
- Hiring
- Relations with the sheltered employment environment (sheltered employment establishments and adapted companies).

For 25 years, the company has relied on a network of referents (144 disability referents and 19 disability network leaders in 2024) who oversee the improvement of its teammates’ working conditions to implement the corresponding action plans. The company wants to help its teammates better work-illness balance by focusing its efforts on four areas: cancer, long COVID, mental health and endometriosis.

Since 2005, the Foundation guides teammates wanting to get involved in social projects for vulnerable people, with sport as the vehicle to better health and integration in an environmentally friendly context.

Sport is a means of generating a positive social and local impact through social integration and access to education. The Foundation’s endeavours are led by teammates in all the countries where we are present thanks to sustainable, responsible and inclusive projects.