In order to move towards greater circularity, we must be able to question ourselves and explore new economic models.
Our primary objective remains to equip athletes: renting, second-hand and selling refurbished products seem to be perfect alternatives to buying new products.
Trekking is a relatively occasional practice: few trekkers can boast they go on an adventure every weekend. Buying new equipment is therefore not always the most responsible or least cumbersome solution.
The impact of buying a new product is considerable. According to ADEME, 100 billion items of clothing are sold each year worldwide, with an average life span of 35 days. Yes, you read right.
Rethinking the way we consume to rent rather than buy can be scary. We are thus moving from an economy of possession to an economy of use. A shift like this takes time, but the environmental benefits are so considerable that we cannot afford to miss out.
This transition can only be made collectively, with consumers and producers working hand in hand.
On average over a season (May to September), a rented tent will be used 50 days by 10 people, whereas a purchased tent will only be used 5 days by 1 or 2 people. To date, even taking into account return shipments of rental packs, the life cycle analysis of a rented product proves that it has 40% less impact than a new product purchased (unless the new product is used very regularly). For us, renting equipment is therefore an obvious choice and, in addition, allows us to take advantage of top-of-the-range equipment without cluttering our cupboards. This is also about making sport affordable!
This is why, as of 2019, Forclaz is launching a rental platform for bivouac equipment in France. Expected by many sportsmen, this service is quickly becoming a success!
The project was then expanded with catalogues from Quechua, Simond, Itiwit and Solognac to offer equipment for camping, vanlife, mountaineering, kayaking, stand up paddle and bushcraft. Delivery can be made to your home, to shops offering the service, to a relay point or directly to a partner campsite to avoid having to carry your equipment the whole way.
The rental service is also available in many other countries (Belgium, Italy, etc.), so you can expand your horizons!
Although today our catalogue of products available for rental is limited, it is because we have chosen to move forward step by step, laying solid foundations for the project to develop in a sustainable way, with a quality service. It will gradually be enriched with a multitude of other Decathlon products to accompany sportsmen and women who love the great outdoors.
After each season, we refurbish the products that have been rented enough to sell them at very affordable prices on our second-hand platform. This allows us to take our circular economy approach to the extreme.
Renting may not be for everyone. It is a new way of consuming that may take some time to adapt to. When it does not fit your lifestyle or is not available near you, second hand is an interesting alternative and helps to reduce waste.
Items returned to the shop as part of our returns policy are handled by our technicians: each item is diagnosed, refurbished and tested to continue to ensure Decathlon quality, with a 2-year guarantee.
We will continue to diversify the alternatives to buying new products.
To date, two major projects have been identified:
- Develop a "B2B" rental offer: to allow trekking and travel professionals to rent equipment for a whole season.
- Develop a platform for second-hand products "C2C": enable sportsmen and women to resell their equipment to other sportsmen and women, by facilitating the listing of their equipment and by establishing a secure framework.
For several years now, we, the mountain sports design teams, have been committed to eco-design, sustainability and repairability and we are proud of this.
However, it is clear that if we continue to sell more products around the world, these efforts will not be enough to limit our environmental impact.
The real revolution is to change our mindset and consider the use value of a product rather than its possession.
Do I need to own the tent that I'm only going to use for one or two weekends a year? And therefore, mobilise all the resources that its production required?
There are benefits to sharing resources: access to a top-of-the-range product even if I am a beginner. Save cleaning or repair time. Not to bother with storage... and reduce the impact of your practice!
To give you the opportunity to make this choice, we have launched a rental service for bivouac and camping equipment in France and Belgium from 2022.
Of course, we are learning as moving from a linear business model to a circular economy has many challenges for a company.
Nevertheless, many of you have already used this service and your feedback encourages us to continue.
So this summer, try renting! To continue to enjoy the mountains in a sustainable way, with the respect they deserve!
