Sporting goods retailer Decathlon brought together 14 industry partners in China with the China General Nuclear Power New Energy Group (CGN) in the Fujian Province on Nov. 7 to sign a power purchase agreement for renewable energy.
With an investment of 1.4 billion yuan renminbi (€180m) by CGN, an offshore solar park will generate 260 GWH of renewable electricity annually. Covering an area of 2.2 square kilometers, this project will double the amount of bundled renewable energy Decathlon consumes in production worldwide. This is equivalent to avoiding the carbon emissions of more than 35,000 homes or 41,000 gasoline cars per year. According to Decathlon, the initiative represents an important step towards the decarbonization of Chinese production, as it gives suppliers easy access to renewable energy.
The 25-year project is expected to remove the equivalent of more than 93,000 tons of coal per year, avoiding 200,000 tons of CO2 emissions. By working with key players in the renewable energy sector in China, Decathlon China aims to bring together renewable energy suppliers with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within the value chain, making it easier for companies to access renewable energy to decarbonize their energy consumption.
The project is said to be the first of several similar initiatives in China, a major manufacturing hub for the global sports manufacturer and retailer.
Decathlon has set itself the goal of reducing its absolute CO2 emissions by 20 percent by 2026, based on the emissions measured in 2021. To achieve this goal, Decathlon is implementing three main actions: Decarbonizing its footprint, creating a sustainable offer and design for a circular economy and expanding circular business models. Renewable electricity sources are one of the key levels for decarbonizing the footprint. According to the group, 90 percent of the electricity consumed by Decathlon’s suppliers’ production sites will come from renewable sources by 2026.
