Decathlon UK has launched a ‘Sustainable September’ campaign, and it includes ten World Clean Up Day litter picking events.
As part of its new partnership with non-profit environmental organisation, Planet Patrol, the sports equipment retailer has pledged to remove 10,000 pieces of litter across the UK, and it is calling on local communities to get involved by removing litter and tracking it on the Planet Patrol app.
Decathlon and Planet Patrol will run the World Clean Up Day events over the weekend of Saturday 18 September, in England, Scotland and Wales, helping remove litter from children’s playgrounds and surrounding areas.
The World Clean Up Day events will combine activities of litter picking, including water-based clean-ups featuring stand-up paddle boarding, canoeing and kayaking, alongside land-based clean-ups featuring walking and yoga. By combining the litter picks with outdoor sports pursuits, Decathlon can run the events in a particularly brand-appropriate way.
The litter picking campaign supports the relaunch of Decathlon’s Eco-design and Second Life initiatives, which give consumers additional information about the products they buy from the retailer, which it said helps shoppers make better purchasing decisions.
Emma Woolley, Decathlon UK’s sustainability leader, said: “It’s wonderful to launch a new partnership with Planet Patrol on such an important project, protecting our playgrounds and reversing the damage that litter pollution has caused to our communities.
“Not only does this contribute to a fantastic cause, but it also encourages the nation to help in a fun and active way.”
She added: “In previous years World Clean Up Day has proven extremely popular with our customers and in 2020 we were able to collect 3,640kg of waste through our virtual events.
“We always want to do more and this new partnership for Sustainable September will help us collect more waste than ever before.”
Lizzie Carr, founder of Planet Patrol, which crowdsources data from the general public as they record the type, amount and brands of litter they collect, said: “Decathlon’s mission is to collect, remove and upload 10,000 pieces of litter in the Planet Patrol app during ‘Sustainable September’ – creating opportunities for people across the UK to get outside and be active, whilst helping protect our planet from the harmful effects of litter pollution.”
Read more about retailer litter picks on Green Retail World
[Image credit: Decathlon]
