As part of its Sustainable September campaign, Decathlon UK, in partnership with Planet Patrol, led local communities in a World Clean Up Day event to help reverse the impact of litter pollution in the UK.

Collecting over 10,000 pieces of litter, combining activities such as stand-up-paddle boarding (SUP) and kayaking with their litter-picking efforts, Decathlon smashed their September litter collection targets of 10,000 pieces before the end of the month.

With 10 flagship World Clean Up Day events carried out across England, Scotland and Wales, Decathlon collaborated with Planet Patrol to help protect the nations’ nature playgrounds against the harmful effects of litter pollution.

Hundreds of volunteers across communities in the UK took part in a combined activity of litter picking, including water-based clean-ups, alongside land-based clean-ups featuring walking and yoga activities – emphasising the variety of outdoor pursuits which Decathlon caters for, while also demonstrating how our favourite hobbies and eco-friendly activities can combine and contribute to a great cause.

Volunteers were equipped with a free litter picking kit and had fun getting active and giving back to mother nature, tracking each piece of litter removed on the Planet Patrol app.

The Planet Patrol app, which crowdsources data from members of the general public who record types, amounts and brands of litter they collect in real-time, is free to download on IOS and Android mobile phones.

This campaign supports Decathlon’s Eco-design and Second Life initiatives, which gives customers the information that they need to make positive informed sustainable choices when shopping.

Emma Woolley, Decathlon UK Sustainability Leader comments: “I took part in the Decathlon Sheffield World Clean Up Day event, and it was clear to see how passionate our customers and members of the general public are about sustainability. It was great to get out on the water, on our SUP boards and kayaks and take real action that will have a positive impact on the local community.”

“We’ll continue to push ourselves to work even harder in our pursuit of sustainable solutions across all areas of our business. The launch of Second Life this year has allowed us to give 3,100 products a new home, saving over 250,000kg of CO2. Measurable actions like this are needed to show our customers we’re committed to protecting our natural playgrounds.”

Lizzie Carr, Founder of Planet Patrol, comments: “We’re thrilled with the outcome of our World Clean Up Day events. Both the turnout and, importantly, the logging of litter data were a huge success and will count towards our target of recording one million pieces by the end of next year.”