Going circular - Transition towards a circular economy

DECATHLON has been working for several years on its products’ design to extend their lifespan. The objective of this approach is to incorporate durability (resistance, reliability, performance over time and timelessness) and repairability right from the product design phase.

Durability
Using the methodologies and related tests developed since 2020, durability criteria are now included in the definition of products benefitting from an ecodesign approach, through specifications.

Engineers use the reference framework and durability standards based on this test-based design methodology to evaluate the durability of the product designed. This evaluation improves the offering’s durability through the selection of more resistant components and materials.

In 2024, the durability referent network included about 30 employees responsible for creating reference frameworks for the various product types, primarily through the use of new tools.

These reference frameworks support design teams in improving durability through four major steps:
1. Diagnosis by the referent, who determines the causes of end-of-life and the frequency of recorded defects, and who decides whether to address the issue through durability or repairability
2. Test phases validating the diagnosis
3.  Interpretations of results to allow the construction of the reference framework
4. Conclusions that are compiled and lead to sustainable design rules

By using established reference frameworks, design teams can make the necessary decisions when constructing their range and identify products that need to be reviewed. This year, reference frameworks were completed for running shoes, sailing shoes, everyday shoes, dance shoes, football shirts, jackets and coats, goalkeeper gloves, socks, yoga mats, knee pads, life jackets and suitcases.

DECATHLON used 57 reference frameworks for its product lines in 2024.
In 2024, the teams focused on:
- deploying an IT tool to determine a sustainability index for each product. It will be finalised in 2025 and used to optimise the creation and monitoring of reference frameworks for product
engineers
- aligning the ecodesign durability criteria used internally with existing external reference frameworks
- participating in the publication work for the NF G30-113 French standard, following work conducted in 2023 as part of the Durhabi initiative in collaboration with the IFTH.

Using the repairability index developed in France by ADEME as a guide, DECATHLON has established criteria to define its products’ repair potential. For each product family, the following criteria need to be fulfilled for a product to be considered repairable:
- Documentation is accessible
- Replacement parts are available
- The product can be disassembled
- The cost of repair does not exceed 30% of the purchase price

Using these four criteria, and by identifying customers’main reasons for repairs, the teams are able to define the percentage of breakages and breakdowns that are covered by a repair solution for each product type. For a DECATHLON product to be considered as benefitting from an ecodesign approach, 80% of the breakages and breakdowns related to the product’s nature must be covered. A distinction is made between products having significant repair potential (such as bicycles) and products benefitting from an ecodesign approach that makes them more repairable than other products on the market.

DECATHLON continued defining reference frameworks for the 120 product types identified as priority products, i.e. establishing the criteria and thresholds that product engineers are required to respect for each one. In 2024, a framework was devised to assess product repairability for 95 of these product types.

To contribute to product ecodesign, the teams published two repairable design guides for textiles and equipment this year.
Product engineers can use these to help them choose materials and techniques when designing repairable products.

In 2024, 624 products were granted the "repairable ecodesign” qualification (5% of all products benefitting from an ecodesign approach).

DECATHLON aims to act on every part of its value chain to reduce its products’ environmental impact. It is working to better take into account product end-of life and to improve recyclability right from the design phase.

Since 2021, several experiments have been conducted with various stakeholders from the recycling world (recyclers and producer responsibility organisations) to jointly create a product recyclability method and evaluation tool.

The objective of this index is to:
- measure a product’s recycling potential (considering product composition and the potential presence of recycling disruptors) and ensure that an industrial recycling sector exists
- simulate future designs to help teams make informed choices to improve product recyclability.

DECATHLON conducted crushing and material sorting line tests as it continued its research into refining the criteria used in its recyclability indices for priority product families. In 2024, the teams developed a tool to assess the recyclability of textile components and products. Based on these indices, DECATHLON is now able to create a framework for implementing design rules to guide product engineers in their choices (materials, colours,
assembly, etc.).

To raise engineers’ awareness of product recyclability, DECATHLON offers training courses on textile and equipment recyclability. In 2024, 166 people were trained on these subjects.

DECATHLON continues to transform its business model by accelerating the scaling up of services that promote the circular economy (second life, rentals and repairs). By extending the lifespan of products, these initiatives support the growth of circularity sales.

DECATHLON’s circular sales grew by 10.4% in 2024 compared to 2023, representing 3.15% of the Group’s global revenue 2.87% in 2023

Because circularity sales are now included in financial reporting, and in line with the transformation of the company’s business model, the development of product second life continued with 1,351,717 DECATHLON and OIB products sold worldwide in 2024 (1,021,374 in 2023). 36 countries offer a range of second life products, and digitalisation seems a good way to encourage the development of the circular economy from the sale of these products. This acceleration is occurring while continuing to respect DECATHLON’s requirements. 
Articles made available for resale come with a legal warranty and are inspected to guarantee quality and user safety, based on detailed checklists specific to each type of DECATHLON product and which are being developed by the design engineers.

Second life products in stores
Since 2018, DECATHLON has been selling second life products that come from rental returns and delisted products in-store, thus offering customers an alternative to new products.

Areas dedicated to second life products are proliferating in DECATHLON stores worldwide, thanks to redesigned merchandising, greater team awareness with time dedicated to second life products, and improved customer communication (in-store corners, signage testing, etc.).

Second life products on line
To develop second life products in its global offering, DECATHLON is experimenting with various sales channels, especially on the Internet. The company is adapting its value chain to centralise, recondition and make products available on information systems for sale on line.

In 2024, DECATHLON offered online sales of second life products in 12 countries , enabling 39,200 products to be sold during the year.

DECATHLON also wants to encourage its partners to develop their own second life offer. Currently, 95 companies (88 in 2023) can sell their own reconditioned or used products on the DECATHLON Marketplace in 21 countries

In this way, DECATHLON is pursuing its digital and environmental transformation by making second life products increasingly accessible to its customers.

DECATHLON has been offering its customers a buy-back system since 2018, through which they can sell their used sporting goods back to DECATHLON. This option was available in stores in 22 countries in 2024.

The buy-back offer continued growing in 2024 to cover over 150 product types (100 in 2023) in fitness and body building, winter sports (skis and snowboards), water sports (canoes, surfboards and paddleboards), urban mobility (bicycles, scooters, skateboards and in-line skates), hiking equipment (tents, bags, hiking poles, warm jackets and textile equipment), golf, fishing, horseback riding, racket sports (tennis, padel and badminton), team sports (basketball and football), as well as martial arts, hunting (textile equipment and accessories) and shooting sports (textiles). Availability varies by store, depending on the location
and specialisation.

Service simplicity is fundamental in promoting the development of buy-backs. In DECATHLON stores, customers’ products are inspected, after which they can be sold in exchange for either a voucher or direct payment to their bank account (in France since 2022, and in Spain and Germany since 2024). To guarantee the satisfaction of the new purchaser, DECATHLON offers a warranty for these products.

Using an approach based on experimentation and innovation,
DECATHLON has incorporated rentals as a strategic lever in
transforming its business model. In 2024, the company offered
two rental solutions: short-term rentals and monthly subscription
rentals. DECATHLON also continues seeking flexible solutions that
are suited to customer needs in order to facilitate the adoption of
consumption patterns with a reduced impact.

Short-term rentals
Short-term rentals come with a one-time payment, so customers can use DECATHLON products for a few hours, a few days or an entire season. This is especially suitable for outdoor sports products. In 2024, this service was available in 21 countries, which are directly responsible for setting up an adapted local solution to ensure the smooth functioning of the service. This model generated more than €17.9 million in sales (€14 million in 2023), representing a 24.6% increase.

Monthly subscription rentals (usually a minimum of three months), offering greater flexibility for customers, were available in seven countries in 2024 (five in 2023). Subscription rental sales increased by 193% compared to 2023 (€18.13 million in 2024 vs. €6.19 million in 2023), which can be explained in part by:
- The addition of two new countries (Portugal and Switzerland)
- The addition of new products (adult bikes)
- Stronger sales promotion
- Recurring revenues generated by this service.

DECATHLON has identified this subscription model as a priority in its rental development strategy and continues to roll it out, notably for children’s and adults’ bicycles.

Beginning in 2024, products are offered for rent again after first being used in subscription rentals. Previously, all returned products had been sold as second life items. Through structuring and standardisation, the re-rental system is now available in all the new countries offering monthly subscription rentals.

There was a significant increase in the total number of monthly subscription rentals in 2024, with 112,430 contracts signed (60,956 in 2023), and with an average customer satisfaction rating of 4.8/5. This rental model continued to grow this year, generating over €18.13 million in sales (€6 million in 2023).

The company continues studying the offering, conditions, customer experience  nd logistics of each rental model to determine the format that best matches customers’ needs.

This year, DECATHLON optimised controls to strengthen risk management for subscription rentals to reduce exposure to fraud and defaulted payments.
The 2024 financial results for rentals confirm customers’ growing interest in these services. Thanks to encouraging growth in all countries, the global sales from rentals reached €36 million this year (€20.6 million in 2023), i.e. an increase of 75%.

DECATHLON’s ultimate goal is to offer its customers a complete, omnichannel rental experience (choice of duration, level of commitment, products and associated services).

Product repair is the cornerstone of DECATHLON's circular economy approach and supports the development of business models that allow customers to extend the lifespan of their products through a network of 1,730 in-store workshops (1,712 in 2023) and 3,841 technicians worldwide. It also plays a major role in the development of second life and rentals to guarantee product safety.

The development of maintenance and repair solutions worldwide relies on the skills of trained technicians, standardised operating procedures and the availability of tools and replacement parts.

The network of “repairability-repair managers” at DECATHLON’s sports and repair departments provides all these resources.
The consideration of repairability right from the design phase enables products to be repaired at DECATHLON’s store workshops or even by the customers themselves. Backed by the expertise of workshop technicians, the sports and design teams are now working hard to meet DECATHLON’s commitment of ensuring 30% of products are repairable by 2026.

For repairs made directly by customers, an after-sales service site with links to compatible replacement parts and explanatory tutorials is available in 14 languages and in 13 countries. Technical support can also be accessed in ten countries, with experts guiding customers in their repairs (for bicycles, table tennis tables, electronic products,  basketball hoops and fitness equipment) via messaging, telephone or video conference, depending on the country.