This paper advocates for initiatives and regulation that enables companies to take immediate action to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.
This paper advocates for initiatives and regulation that enables companies to take immediate action to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.
DECATHLON strongly supports the mandatory adoption of Target 15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity to regularly monitor, assess, and transparently disclose their risks, dependencies and impacts on biodiversity. We firmly believe that it is essential for relevant action plans, ecosystem protection, and market competition improvement.
The absence of universally accepted biodiversity assessment methods hinders reporting and comparability among companies, affecting credibility. DECATHLON uses the Global Biodiversity Score® tool but awaits international standards, advocating for standardised metrics in sustainability reporting for consistency.
Tool provided by CDC Biodiversité : www.cdc-biodiversite.fr/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/N18-TRAVAUX-DU-CLUB-B4B-GBS-FR-MD-WEB.pdf
DECATHLON is dedicated to reducing its negative impact on biodiversity through clear, measurable targets, which we believe will drive innovation and more responsible practices. However, the scarcity of case studies poses challenges, emphasising the need for precise, equitable targets to create a level playing field for businesses.
DECATHLON supports establishing a robust framework encompassing legal, economic, and financial elements to uphold biodiversity principles in alignment with the Global Biodiversity Framework. This approach aims to harmonise economic growth with nature preservation for the well-being of both humanity and the planet.
DECATHLON supports establishing a robust framework encompassing legal, economic, and financial elements to uphold biodiversity principles in alignment with the Global Biodiversity Framework. This approach aims to harmonise economic growth with nature preservation for the well-being of both humanity and the planet.
DECATHLON supports the Kunming Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework established during the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15). Nevertheless, we contend that the non-mandatory and non-binding nature of the framework fails to engender the requisite urgency and broad-scale initiatives required in light of the present state of biodiversity degradation. Therefore, DECATHLON strongly advocates for the implementation of unified and ambitious measures, particularly targeting multinational corporations and financial institutions.
The current biodiversity crisis imperils species, ecosystems and the sustainable well-being of human activities.
As the world’s largest sporting goods manufacturer and retailer, DECATHLON acknowledges its direct and indirect impacts on biodiversity and is unwavering in its commitment to mitigating and reversing biodiversity loss. Biodiversity, encompassing diversity within and between species and ecosystems, is indispensable for global equilibrium, human well-being, and economic prosperity. It underpins essential resources like food, medicine, clean air and water, whilst enriching recreation and culture.
The IPBES Global Assessment Report underscores an unprecedented crisis, with approximately one million species at risk of extinction due to factors such as land use changes, direct exploitation, climate change, pollution, and invasive species. This necessitates immediate and targeted corporate action to safeguard and restore biodiversity. DECATHLON recognized the importance of biodiversity in 2020, launching efforts to assess its impacts, identify critical pressures, and define actions to reduce harm. In 2022, DECATHLON ran a pilot project in India that presented many challenges due to the lack of pertinent case studies available and limited global regulations. The results of this pilot project helped formulate the recommendations we have made in this paper.
Recognizing that half of the world's GDP depends moderately or highly on nature, including raw materials, regulation and cultural services, we pledge our full support to the Global Biodiversity Framework. This framework envisions a world in harmony with nature by 2050 and is dedicated to the urgent reversal of biodiversity loss by 2030. We are committed to reducing our ecological footprint and aiding restoration, but we need a standardised, binding global framework to ensure swift and effective collective action. Nature doesn’t recognise political boundaries.
DECATHLON has undertaken substantial efforts in the realm of biodiversity over several years, striving to adopt an approach that quantifies our ecological footprint and, in turn, enables us to formulate the most efficacious action plans. We have made a commitment to comprehensively evaluate and report annually on our biodiversity dependencies and impacts by 2026. Since 2021, we have been disclosing our impacts across DECATHLON's value chain, encompassing the entire lifecycle of our products, from the supply chain to product usage and eventual end-of-life. Our methodologies for impact assessment remain in a state of continual enhancement, and we are eager to encourage all economic stakeholders to join us in this monitoring endeavour, aiming for harmonised and meaningful strategies in safeguarding the natural world.
As such, DECATHLON endorses the mandatory adoption of Target 15 established by COP15, which urges companies to 'regularly monitor, assess, and transparently disclose their risks, dependencies, and impacts on biodiversity' throughout their entire value chains by the year 2030.
We believe that compulsory and routine assessments, for targeted economic actors, are the core for formulating relevant action plans that mitigate negative impacts on biodiversity and foster positive ones. Through an in-depth measurement of their environmental impact, economic actors can pinpoint the most significant pressures on ecosystems and prioritise effective actions. An added consequence would be the stimulation of competition within the market, focusing on companies' non-financial performance, thereby propelling the industry toward a greater commitment to biodiversity preservation. The regular and consistent disclosure of these impact assessments will also provide consumers and all stakeholders with transparent and informed decision-making tools.
The absence of a universally accepted methodology or standardised metrics framework poses a significant challenge. The current landscape discourages reporting, rendering it challenging to compare non-financial performance across companies and diminishing the reliability and credibility of biodiversity assessment outcomes.
DECATHLON has, in response, chosen the Global Biodiversity Score® (GBS) tool, developed by CDC Biodiversité, to conduct its biodiversity footprint assessment. However, DECATHLON awaits the development of international standards to facilitate reporting by companies and streamline the analysis of results. In the interim, we advocate for the adoption of a concise set of standardised metrics and methodologies that provide guidance for large and transnational companies when reporting on biodiversity impacts and dependencies. Furthermore, as standardised metrics may lack suitability for some companies’ activities and local ecosystems, it is also important to add adapted and appropriate metrics. These should be incorporated into sustainability reporting standards and regulations to ensure a consistent and comprehensive approach.
To continue reaping the benefits of biodiversity's ecosystem services, DECATHLON is committed to diminish its detrimental impact on biodiversity. The establishment of specific, measurable, and absolute targets for reducing impacts and rejuvenating biodiversity provides businesses with an avenue for innovation and the identification of production and consumption strategies that are less detrimental to ecosystems. In doing so, these companies can actively contribute to the mitigation of biodiversity erosion, charting a course that shifts the market towards a scenario where positive impacts outweigh negative ones.
In 2022, DECATHLON embarked on a pilot project in India aimed at setting targets for impact reduction. The primary challenge encountered in this endeavour was the scarcity of pertinent case studies. While some local guidelines do exist, they do not facilitate companies' equitable engagement in reducing their impacts. It is therefore imperative to establish quantitative and definitive targets for reducing negative impacts and amplifying positive ones. This is essential for providing businesses with clear parameters and fostering an equitable business environment.
DECATHLON strongly advocates for the creation of a robust and efficient framework that incorporates pertinent international legal, economic, and financial instruments, and incentives. This framework aims to reshape and reform our economic and financial sectors, ensuring the principles of 'biodiversity valuation, conservation, restoration, and sustainable utilisation' are upheld, in accordance with the objectives set forth in the Global Biodiversity Framework.
DECATHLON supports the implementation of a legally binding framework with ambitious measures targeting multinational corporations and financial institutions. Through the implementation of these measures, we can harmonise economic growth with the imperative of preserving our natural heritage for the benefit of future generations. Striking this equilibrium serves the dual purpose of promoting the well-being of both humanity and the planet.
