NEWS | Decathlon UK Launches Second Life Encouraging us to Recycle, Repair and Reuse!

March 18, 2021 Shell Robshaw-Bryan

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Decathlon UK are delighted to announce the launch of Decathlon Second Life on Tuesday 23 March. This is a new sustainability initiative, which will see Decathlon recycle, repair and reuse sports equipment so it can give products a second life.

Decathlon firmly believes our planet is worth protecting and that too much is thrown away today, instead of being recycled, repaired and reused. Second Life will prevent products from going to waste and significantly reduce Decathlon’s impact on the environment.

Having listened closely to the values and voices of both its customers and employees it hopes to amplify these voices and inspire positive change for the planet and its people.

The Decathlon Second Life collection will be available to purchase in store and on their e-commerce platform. This experimental project sees its timeline begin with the soft launch focusing on refurbished bikes, fitness equipment, weights, tents, scooters, kayaks and SUPs. As the project develops, Decathlon aims to introduce other sports hardware, clothing and textiles in the near future.

Every Second Life product is refurbished by a team of expert technicians and undergoes a rigorous condition rating process before being assigned a grade from A to D. This means Decathlon are still able to offer you all of the original Decathlon promises, warranties and guarantees as a brand new product bought from decathlon.co.uk. Customers can therefore rest assured that all second life products can be enjoyed today and tomorrow.

The grading system will also be used to assign a price to each product. Grade A products, those with very light marks, will be available at a 10% discount compared to if the product was purchased as new. The discount level then increases by increments of 10% until you reach Grade D products, where replacement parts might have been required, and a 40% discount.

Sustainability at its core

Decathlon UK has long included sustainability as a core pillar of its updated business model and the newest addition to its national targets notes progression on its environmental impact benchmarking. With this new initiative, Decathlon UK hopes to save 40,000kg of CO2 in 12 months, whilst simultaneously making these products available to their customers at an even more affordable price point than usual.

Nick Connell, project leader of the Decathlon Second Life project in the UK says, “The team are really proud to be launching Second Life in 2021. Following a tough year for the retail sector, but especially the individual and our customers, we’re very excited.

“Our planet is worth protecting and we all need to accelerate in taking action to reduce our environmental impact. As a business with big production demands we have to act now. By recycling, repairing and reusing products we’re adding another key action to our wider sustainability project.”

“At the same time we need to fulfil our company purpose to provide everyone in the UK with access to happier and healthier lifestyles, whether that be physically or financially. Therefore Second Life will benefit both our planet and our customers’ pockets.”

Eric Mazillier, CEO of Decathlon UK comments, “At Decathlon UK, we strongly believe in our responsibility to help the British population get physically active and healthy through sport. We also believe in our responsibility to protect our playground… our planet.”

“Decathlon’s Second Life project is a proud moment for Decathlon UK legacy. It is a new affordable option for the population to access sports equipment without any compromise on quality or safety.”

“It is also an important first step in the changing approach to our business model; we are assessing what it really means to create value in society and our local communities.”

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Shell Robshaw-Bryan

Editor & Owner at Camping with Style

Shell loves all things travel and outdoors and is a nature-loving, comfy-camping kinda girl. Shell started the Camping with Style blog after a serious snowboarding accident which left her with a broken back. Despite this she used the outdoors and healing power of nature to aid her recovery and she continues to spend time outdoors whenever she can.

From open water swimming, snowboarding and kayaking to hill walks and meditation, Shell shares her travels and microadventures here on the blog and in various publications she's written for, Shell has a particular interest in promoting wellbeing and the many benefits of nature therapy.

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