Decathlon Germany is launching a used-product “Buy Back” service in select cities. For the first time, the sporting goods manufacturer and retailer is buying back used sports products and returning them to second-use sales after successfully inspecting and/or repairing them. Customers who sell their products to Decathlon receive either a voucher or a direct cash payment.
Initially, the new service will be tested with the buyback of Decathlon’s own-brand bicycles Btwin, Vanrysel, Triban and Riverside, as well as skis and snowboards. Participating Decathlon stores are Baden-Baden, Berlin Alexanderplatz, Saarlouis, Herne, Dortmund, Karlsruhe, Munich Mona, Plochingen, Ulm and Wallau. In 2023, Decathlon aims to expand its offering in Germany to include more stores and sports products.
Decathlon has investigated in advance whether current consumer behavior is suitable for the Buy Back service in Germany. In an internal study, the company found that the strongest motivation for selling used products is “making room.” “Conserving resources” is in third place. A similar picture emerges when asked about the reason for buying used articles. Here, the survey shows that the topics “saving costs” (rank 1) and “saving resources” (rank 3) are among the most important.
Decathlon has also consulted various external studies. According to the Circular Economy 2021 study by the Wuppertal Institute, 88 percent of all households in Germany harbor unused products. 47 percent of those surveyed said they could imagine turning to used items more often in the future to benefit the environment.
Decathlon is also taking action online: the company focuses on greater transparency and now publishes the carbon footprint of all its textile products in its online store. Customers can thus view the environmental impact caused by the production of the respective textile product online on the respective article page. The goal is to raise awareness of sustainable purchasing. The information is to be successively extended to other product groups.
