Decathalon Incentivises Customers to Clean Up Their Neighbourhoods

The campaign from AMV BBDO is in partnership with environmental non-profit Planet Patrol

By Creative Salon

20 September 2024

Sporting goods retailer Decathalon is to reward its customers for helping to keep their local areas clean, including money off rewards on sports equipment.

The initiative is being run in partnership with environmental non-profit organisation Planet Patrol which protects the UK’s waterways and blue spaces. It was launched in celebration of World Cleanup Day.

Created by AMV BBDO, the ’Rentals for Rubbish’ campaign is an extension of the brand’s ongoing ‘Ready to Play’ platform which launched earlier this year.

The program 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.

It will encourage 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.

Izabella Angelova, global brand marketing leader at Decathalon, says; “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.”

The large-scale collection, combined with the logging of litter locations through Planet Patrol, will contribute essential data needed to protect green spaces and keep shared playgrounds clean.

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

AMV BBDO creative directors Jack Smedley and George Hackforth-Jones, add: “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.”

Lizzie Carr, founder of Planet Patrol, also explains: “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.”

Customers can register interest and find out more information at Decathlon.com/RentalsforRubbish.