Extending products' lifespan
Decathlon has been working for several years on the design of its products to extend their lifespan. This approach aims to integrate sustainability issues (durability, reliability, performance over time with timeless design) and repairability starting at the product design phase.
Progress made with sustainability
Thanks to methodologies and the associated tests developed since 2020, sustainability criteria are now incorporated through specifications into the definition of Eco-design products. The database helps to make available a roadmap with clear criteria to product engineers. This test-based design methodology has produced a framework and sustainability standards by means, for example, of a choice of more durable components.
We established in 2022 a network of specialist engineers after organising training courses dedicated to this issue. These designers were in charge of creating frames of reference for all articles in their product range, along with identifying those that comply with the sustainability framework through four essential steps:
1. The diagnosis made by the specialist defining the causes of end-of-life, then deducing whether to treat the issue from a durability or repairability standpoint.
2. The test phases that confirm the diagnosis.
3. The interpretations help to put together the frames of reference.
4. The conclusions amassed in the collaborative design software, lead to sustainable design rules.
Thanks to this product sustainability perspective, sports design teams can make the necessary decisions when putting together their range and identify the products to stop or improve.This year, the frames of reference have been completed for the entire clothing range, shoes with studs, backpacks, water bladders, gym balls and jumping balls.
Decathlon shares its research and conclusions externally within the l’AFNOR (certification organisation) technical committee called DUR-HABI, intended to set up a standard that helps define durability criteria.
Advances made in repairability
Getting inspiration from the repairability index developed in France by the ADEME (French Environmental Transition agency), Decathlon established criteria setting out its products potential for repairability. For each family of items, the criteria to be met for a product to be considered repairable are:
📄 documentation is accessible;
🧩 spare parts are available;
🛠 the product can be disassembled
💶 the repair costs are a least 30 % less than the purchase price of the new product.
By following these four criteria, and thanks to a great deal of work done drawing up a list of the critical issues that arise within each product family, teams have been able to define, for each product type, the percentage of damage and failure covered by a repair solution. We consider a Decathlon product is Eco-designed, when 80% of failures associated with a product type are covered.
Please note that we distinguish between a high repairability potential, such as bikes, and Eco-design products that benefit from work put in at the design stage to make them more repairable than products on the market
As with the sustainability project, the main work done this year has been to define the frames of reference for each sport, in other words, set out the criteria and thresholds for each product family. Once these categorisation rules established, the network of trained specialist in the repairability concept could share these with
product engineers.
Since 2021, we have taken action for several products, such as Stand-Up paddles, scooters, and skateboards. Subsequently 300 product references have benefited from repairable Eco-design attributes in 2022 (6 % of all Eco-design products).
This article is available to find out more about repairability at DECATHLON.
