Decathlon, a retailer of sporting goods, has revealed that, last year, it was able to reduce its absolute carbon emissions for the first time while simultaneously increasing both quantity and turnover sales.

The company's new "Non Financial Reporting Declaration" reveals the 1.7% reduction in emissions in 2022 compared to the previous year. It also sets a new goal of reducing emissions by 20% overall by 2026 compared to a baseline from 2021.

According to the report, the company's product ecodesign program, which helped more suppliers switch to renewable energy and cut emissions from transportation, played a role in the decrease that occurred last year. However, production also slowed down as a result of high stock levels at the end of the year also contributed.