With the launch of its biodiversity project, Decathlon has signed up to the 10 principles of the “Act4nature” France initiative.
This strategy from the French government brought together 38 businesses in December 2019 so that they could sign up to a continuous improvement effort to help preserve biodiversity. This commitment follows on from the initial efforts conducted by Decathlon at its St Malo and Lorient stores, two projects where biodiversity is incorporated right from the construction phase, earning it the Signature Biodiversité accreditation.
Decathlon has also joined the multi-stakeholder association ORÉE, advisors at both the national and international levels. By becoming a member of this network of experts, Decathlon teams will be able to access upskilling support in the field of biodiversity.
"By committing to the Act4nature France initiative and the ORÉE network, we are acknowledging the importance of promoting biodiversity to safeguard the long-term future of sport and our business."
"The issues surrounding the erosion of biodiversity are threatening our entire ecosystem," said Isabelle Guyader, Decathlon's Sustainability Chief Officer. "Gaining awareness and understanding are essential steps if we are to actively tackle a danger that is both imminent and visible.
"By committing to the Act4nature France initiative and the ORÉE network, we are acknowledging the importance of promoting biodiversity to safeguard the long-term future of sport and our business."
“Signing the ten Act4nature France principles and joining ORÉE are first steps for Decathlon," said Antoine Lablée, Decathlon's Biodiversity Project Manager. "This will boost our awareness of how biodiversity is being eroded, along with the ecosystem services it provides. These services help us every day to fulfill our purpose: 'To sustainably make the pleasure and benefits of sport accessible to the many'. For us, this is the beginning of a long-term policy, to transform Decathlon to make sport and exercise compatible with a resilient biodiversity drive.”
The 10 Principles of the "Act4Nature" France Initiative:
- Integrating biodiversity into our corporate strategy, founding our action on available scientific knowledge;
- Engaging in dialogue with all our stakeholders regarding their expectations and our impacts, actions and progress;
- Assessing the various components of biodiversity of concern to us, using direct and indirect impact indicators, risk and performance indicators and, when relevant for decision making purposes, assessing in economic terms our impacts and our reliance on smoothly functioning ecosystems;
- Promoting the progressive integration of biological diversity into decisions throughout our value chains, from the production of natural raw materials to the final stage of our products life cycle after use by consumers;
- Primarily preventing, reducing and ultimately offsetting our impacts, by seeking on a case-by-case basis no net loss as a bottom line and even a net gain of biodiversity in our activities and geographical areas of influence, and by factoring in the need for ecosystems to adapt to climate change;
- Giving priority to the development of Nature-based Solutions, ensuring that they are implemented in a science-based and biodiversity-friendly manner, and promoting a certain variety in such solutions;
- Incorporating biodiversity into our dialogue with policymakers so that this issue is progressively embedded into public policies. When invited to do so, contributing to the national biodiversity strategies of countries where we operate;
- Raising awareness for and training our employees in biodiversity and its relation to their jobs. Promoting and encouraging nature- friendly initiatives by them and providing due recognition to such actions and practices;
- Mobilising resources and establishing appropriate partnerships to support and monitor our actions taken in the field;
- Publicly reporting on the implementation of these commitments and of our individual commitments set out below.
Hélène Leriche, Head of Biodiversity and economy at ORÉE, added, “Biodiversity is the living world that we are all attached to and that links us all together. Decathlon customers are particularly sensitive to it, being those who want to kit themselves out in order to discover new horizons as suggested in visuals communicated by the business.
"Decathlon’s commitment to biodiversity should also help to train all of its partners and its value chain. It’s important to work on this biodiversity issue with others. The long history of the living world, which we are learning to understand a little more each day, along with its interactions and co-developments, proves that together we are stronger, and that we are always wiser when we collaborate, in terms of both diversity and complementarity of viewpoints and skills.”
ABOUT ORÉE
A multi-stakeholder association founded in 1992, ORÉE has existed for more than 20 years as a means to bring together and coordinate those working to establish an environmental biodiversity drive. ORÉE currently boasts a 180-strong network including businesses, public bodies, professional and environmental associations, academic and institutional bodies, etc., for whom it provides support and organisational tools. Learn more at OREE.org.
ABOUT ACT4NATURE FRANCE
Act4nature France (Entreprises engagées pour la nature in French) lists its chief aim as mobilising business to promote biodiversity, in 3 stages:
- Signature of the 10 shared principles, at the highest level within the business.
- Setting of business’ commitments in line with its suggested aims.
- Compilation of an action plan achievement report every two years and at the end of the initiative.
Learn more about Act4nature here.
ABOUT SIGNATURE BIODIVERSITÉ
The aim of the SignatureBiodiversité® accreditation is to assess and measure the environmental footprint of existing developments, and build a specific biodiversity restoration programme that is tailored to individual projects.
Decathlon Saint-Malo (France) is the 1st example of fitting out a store labeled by “Signature Biodiversité”. The steps to preserve biodiversity were integrated from the design of the site, with in particular a reflection concerning the management of rainwater, the reduction of the waterproofing of the land by the use of infiltrating materials, the establishment of beehives in order to improve the pollination of the local environment, the planting of various species of trees and bushes, the creation of an area wetland environment and an educational route allowing us to share our unifying commitment with our visitors. The assessment carried out provides precious indicators to our real estate teams and shows that the environmental impact of this Decathlon store is positive. Learn more about the accreditation at Signature-Biodiversite.com.
ABOUT DECATHLON:
Since its founding in 1976 in France, Decathlon has been making sports more accessible to everyone with high quality, affordable sports gear and equipment. Decathlon designs, innovates and produces its own products, exclusively available in Decathlon’s points of sales. With over 1,600 stores worldwide in 70 countries, Decathlon is a leading sporting goods retailer and brand. Learn More
