The French sporting goods retailer Decathlon is setting up a chair for ecodesign together with the Paris art school École des Arts Décoratifs. With this new initiative, the sporting goods company wants to underpin its ecological efforts and promote more sustainable developments.
Become the market leader and thus overtake Nike and Adidas – Decathlon Managing Director Barbara Martin Coppola makes no secret of her ambitions to make her company one of the most popular retail chains in France. This endeavor is backed by undeniable competitive advantages and a solid balance sheet. The retailer founded by Michel Leclercq is not only very popular on the domestic market, but also internationally and is now represented in 70 countries. In India, Decathlon has risen to become the sports leader ten years after its inception. A success that was reflected in sales of 13.8 billion euros last year and earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of one billion euros.
These results also point to positive developments in the future, especially since the company can conquer other large markets, especially Southwest Asia and Africa. This growth is supported by the company’s ability to innovate, which is also evident in other areas such as its commitment to more sustainable developments. Decathlon offers repair services worldwide, such as changing zippers on wetsuits or changing batteries on sports watches. The company also has a wide range of second-hand goods and offers subscription-based bike rentals.
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Promotion of innovation and research
Further sustainability efforts of the company are reflected in the range of Ecodesign products. The sporting goods manufacturer has now announced, together with the Paris École des Arts Décoratifs, that it will set up a chair for “Ecodesign and Design”, which will run for four years from 2022 to 2025. The Chair is led by committed and recognized professionals: the Strategic Steering Committee is made up of Decathlon’s Forward Design and Sustainable Development executives, as well as the Principal, Research Director and designers from the École des Arts Décoratifs faculty. Jeanne Vicérial, founder of the research and creative studio Clinique vestimentaire, and the young designer Samuel Tomatis will also contribute.
Important topics include the implementation of zero waste, the sustainability of products that are thousands of years old, wear and tear as a design for emotional value, and new production spaces for biodesign. Specifically, the aim of the course is to develop innovative prototypes that can then be further developed by the retailer. Five production grants are awarded each year. There is also a research project at the interface between biodesign and the field of behavior, in which a postdoc is funded and supervised by the research institute EnsadLab.
At the end of the three school years, the chair’s productions and results are presented to the public – firstly in the context of an exhibition in the city of Lille, as close as possible to the historic location of the brand, and secondly as a written publication. “Décathlon is a family company committed to the values of humanism, vitality and responsibility towards the protection of our ecosystems and social bonds through sport,” said Nathalie Guiot, member of Decathlon’s transition committee, on the ambitions and specificities of the sporting goods manufacturer, “I am proud and happy about the commitment we have made to a whole young generation of designers and researchers. This chair is a real accelerator for our changes!”
This post previously appeared on FashionUnited.fr. Translation and editing: Pia Schulz