Customers Can Pay For Decathlon Sports Gear by Picking up Litter

In celebration of World Cleanup Day, newly recognised on the UN Calendar of International Days in 2024, taking place this Friday, September 20, DECATHLON is launching “Rentals for Rubbish”, a program that will reward customers for cleaning up their local areas by offering money off rentals on a range of sports equipment, including bikes, paddleboards, and camping gear.

To bring the initiative to life, Decathlon has partnered with Planet Patrol, a non-profit organisation focused on environmental action and data collection, particularly the protection of the UK’s waterways and blue spaces.

Developed with AMV BBDO, as part of the Ready To Play? platform launched earlier this year, the initiative encourages participants to collect litter in their local areas, record their findings in the free Planet Patrol App, and then dispose of it responsibly at home or through local recycling facilities. The more litter collected, the greater the discount on rental gear achieved.

As an official partner of World Cleanup Day, Decathlon hopes to collect 5,000 pieces of litter within a two-week period, encouraging communities across the UK to work together toward a cleaner planet.

A pop-up store in London, on Saturday September 21, kicks off the initiative and aims to inspire people to actively participate in caring for our shared environment. Designed by Beautiful Wonder, the eco-friendly space is made entirely from recycled cardboard and acts as a hub for customers to rent equipment for FREE in exchange for rubbish they’ve collected.

Circularity and sustainability are core principles at the heart of Decathlon's business, making this initiative a key pilot for global adoption next year. This large-scale collection, combined with the logging of litter locations through Planet Patrol, will contribute essential data needed to protect green spaces and keep our shared playgrounds clean.

Izabella Angelova, global brand marketing leader at DECATHLON, said, “Sustainability and circularity are at the core of Decathlon’s mission, and ‘Rentals for Rubbish’ exemplifies our commitment to making sports more accessible while protecting the environment. Alongside our rental services, we offer repair, buyback, and Second Life programs to extend product lifecycles and reduce waste. We’re exploring opportunities to expand this initiative globally next year as part of our ongoing sustainability efforts.”

Lizzie Carr, founder of Planet Patrol, commented, “We’re delighted to be partnering with Decathlon for World Cleanup Day 2024. Decathlon's mission is to collect, remove and upload 5,000 pieces of litter in the Planet Patrol app over two weeks, 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.”

AMV BBDO creative directors Jack Smedley and George Hackforth-Jones said, “Decathlon makes sporting equipment to be enjoyed in the great outdoors, but too often the spaces we play in are spoiled by litter. Rentals for Rubbish is all about reminding people that nature is everyone’s playground and it's up to all of us to keep it clean.”

The activation was created by Dal Almeida and Mike Hughes with creative direction of Jack Smedley and George Hackforth-Jones.

Customers can register interest and find out more information here.