Setting Up a Circular Transformation Plan

A section where we interview leading sustainability professionals, to share their advice on planning and executing initiatives. We sat down with Chris Allen, Director of Sustainability at Decathlon - a global sports retailer, to explore how the team is pushing a company-wide circularity agenda.

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Team Size: 6 people.

Decathlon UK’s core circular economy team is a powerhouse of 6 individuals, led by Chris, Director of Sustainability. Three "Project Leaders" spearhead initiatives in BuyBack, Rental, and Repair, whilst three "Change Leaders" drive change across Educational and engagement, Financials, and Communication. This is supported by a circular refurbishment hub within their UK distribution centre.

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Team Set up: Independent and Distributed Function.

Operating independently yet intersecting across all departments is a deliberate strategy to rally widespread buy-in. While the core team’s headcount remains constant, sustainability responsibilities are increasingly embedded across other functions (e.g., the UX team, operations and commercial). To consolidate this buy-in, there is a shared circularity OKR across the business, on which remuneration/bonuses are based on.

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Why is Circularity Decathlon’s Big Bet?

Decathlon’s business model is based on driving volume at an affordable price. With such a large product range and volume, circulatory presented the biggest opportunity to reduce emissions by extending product life spans and reducing consumption.

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Let’s Dig into Decathlon’s Latest Game-Changing Initiative: BuyBack

Rethinking the traditional return model (which historically ended up in products going to waste), Decathlon introduced the Bike BuyBack program. Customers trade in bikes and receive Decathlon vouchers in return. These bikes are refurbished and re-enter the market at a lower, more accessible price point.

So far, hundreds of bikes have been repurchased (~450) and hundreds of learnings accrued. Here are the biggest:

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• Prioritise financial viability as a way to get buy-in and continued support. A dedicated sustainability finance expert was onboarded to understand, model and demonstrate the commercial viability. This has been a strategic lever to pull to secure buy-in.
• Don’t underestimate the magnitude of operational change management. Ensure you invest enough resources (time and money) behind the transformation. In Decathlon’s case, the process took a lot longer than expected (despite feeling that they had a robust understanding of the buy-in and financials needed). Moral of the story - add a buffer to your timeline and budget.
• Learn to speak the language. Tailor messages to resonate with each function. Despite circularity being a core OKR for Decathlon, each function has to progress against multiple indicators. Clearly articulate the benefits to ensure your target is front of mind.
• Listen to your customers. Align narratives with customer priorities. In Decathlon’s case, affordability and convenience resonate more than sustainability. Decathlon had to reposition its BuyBack narrative after limited initial engagement.

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Feel free to reach out to Chris and dig further into his experience - there may well be grounds for collaboration!

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