Our products are packed, stored and transported from the factory to your doorstep. And of course, this has an impact on our carbon footprint.
We are committed to essentializing our packaging, preferring less polluting modes of transport and storage locations as close as possible to the point of sale.
The IPCC Group III report recently highlighted that transport-related carbon emissions have increased by over 70% since 1990. These emissions could even continue to increase by 16% to 50% by 2050 (source, Technical summary, 1 TS. 5.3 Transport, page 67 and 68).
For several years now, the Decathlon group has been committed to the subject of more rational logistics. Logistics represents a small percentage of Decathlon's overall carbon footprint: in 2021, approximately 3% of the Decathlon Group’s total CO2 emissions were due to logistics and transport.
Nevertheless, we aim to reduce our carbon footprint at every stage of our products’ lives, and this stage is no exception. This approach is all the more virtuous because in logistics, sustainable development represents an economic gain: the more we optimize, the less we pack, the less you spend.
Single-use plastics
Done in 2021: 31%
Transport by plane
Done in 2021: 0%
Pefc/fsc-certified boxes
Done in 2021: 81%
Used as protection, as a communication medium or as an aid to shelf display, the usefulness of some packaging is still under scrutiny because it represents a significant source of waste.
The role of our packaging engineers has therefore rapidly evolved, their new challenges now being to reduce and essentialise packaging solutions in order to preserve the environment.
As for the design, they have a modelling tool integrating 5 eco-design criteria. The main axis of impact reduction remains, not surprisingly, the choice of sustainable, recyclable and recycled materials. We also strictly limit the use of plastic and prefer single-material packaging because it is more easily recyclable.
Five major levers for action have been identified:
Product marking
This makes it possible to provide essential product information without having to produce packaging. Another advantage: if the product is lent, given away or resold, the new owner always has access to this information!
Reusable packaging
Where possible and appropriate, packaging is designed to be reused, for example, a packaging bag becomes a storage bag.
Pefc/fsc-certified cardboard
If we have no choice but to use cardboard, it might as well come from responsible and sustainable operations: We therefore work with suppliers whose cardboard is PEFC/FSC-certified.
Elimination of single-use plastics
Several tests are underway: the challenge is to find alternatives while ensuring that the product is not damaged during transport or that it remains easy and convenient to display.
For example, we have eliminated 3,900 kg of single-use plastics by eliminating protective bags in cartons and the binding of size labels on our shoes, without affecting the quality of our products.
Optimisation of transport boxes
It seems obvious, but it is not so simple: ensuring that the filling of transport boxes is optimised is an important lever for reducing our environmental impact. Less empty space means less cardboard and therefore fewer containers in transit around the world!
Currently, our production area is mainly concentrated in Asia, although the share of production in Europe is constantly increasing.
In order to supply our various markets, the products pass through several warehouses where they are then distributed to our various shops. There are currently 73 Decathlon warehouses around the world.
Decathlon has full control over each stage of its logistics chain, which makes it possible to take precise action to optimise the filling of transport trucks and storage spaces. For example, at Decathlon, the transport managers impose a volume of products on the carriers in order to ensure the efficiency of each journey and thus limit the total number of kilometres travelled because each journey emits CO2.
> Maritime transport: we mainly use cargo transport for long distances. Transport times are longer but the carbon impact is reduced by 99% compared to air transport!
> Rail transport: for medium distances, the train is an efficient and fast solution to transport our products as close as possible to the final destination, even though it remains 8 times more polluting than cargo.
> Air transport aérien:very rarely used, this mode of transport allows rapid supply for urgent delivery needs.
At the time of writing, Forclaz has reached its “zero air” target.
> The last mile: to deliver products to homes or shops, we are developing alternative solutions that have less impact, such as gas or electric trucks, bicycles or barges.
We have also joined the Starboard project, which aims to transport goods by freight sailboat. This ambitious project would reduce CO2 emissions by 90% compared to transport by cargo, in only 9 days more.
See you in 2024 for the first test of transporting Forclaz down jackets by sailboat from Shanghai in 36 days.
“As soon as we buy a product, we immediately generate waste.
There is one that we must keep to a minimum: packaging. The best waste is waste that doesn’t exist.
Because all too often we still find single-use plastic scattered on mountain paths or on our sea coasts, I am committed to this process of eliminating and reducing our packaging.
At Forclaz, and even more so at Decathlon, we try to eliminate this packaging whenever possible: we choose to use the product to carry and communicate to our users how it works, such as the covers of our sleeping bags.
When we are forced to keep a packaging container, we make sure to minimize its size and ecological impact as much as possible, by choosing materials that are 100% recyclable and from a renewable resource: FSC or PEFC certified paper and cardboard, which are recycled whenever possible. We control and support all our suppliers in this strategy to reduce the ecological impact of our packaging.
My dream: to develop in a world without plastic waste. It can be done, and we will do it, starting with eliminating the use of single-use plastic in our packaging. Together with the product design teams, we have set ourselves the target of removing more than 60% of this plastic from Forclaz products by the end of 2022, 90% by 2023.
We are not there yet, but I believe in it, and all of Forclaz is with me!”
