Decathlon requests that adverts are deleted

Files that have not been opened for ten years, mailboxes with many hundreds of messages that have never been read and never will be: servers worldwide are full of unnecessary data that eats up energy. The solution, however, is as easy as it is efficient: one deliberate press of the delete button, as recommended by Decathlon and its media partner Mediaplus. To reduce their data storage and the corresponding CO₂ emissions, they are launching the Trash-the-Ads campaign. “We are asking all companies and partners to delete all campaign materials from their servers immediately after the expiry of a campaign,” explains Estelle Bouvier, media strategist for Decathlon. “After all, if we take a smarter and more deliberate approach to our data, we can reduce the impact on the environment.”

Whether a printed or a digital advertising campaign is the more ecological option depends on a range of factors. One important difference is that while 86% of all paper in Belgium is recycled, according to the Belgian statistics office Statbel, many digital messages float around like litter on servers indefinitely. This results in unnecessary energy consumption and increased CO₂ emissions as data centres run continuously to store and keep the data accessible, even if it is never accessed again.

“Adverts always have an ecological footprint and this will always be the case. However, we can try to limit this by being smarter about our data usage. Part of the impact is caused by the storage of data on various servers. And this is fine, as long as the campaign is running. But, once the campaign comes to an end, data is often left ‘parked’ on servers, contributing to unnecessary energy consumption. By deleting unused data and asking our partners to do the same, we want to reduce that impact.”
​Estelle Bouvier, media strategist for Decathlon

Enormous potential

Because many small things can have a huge impact, Decathlon is also going a step further. The sports brand is encouraging all marketing specialists and companies to delete their advertisements once a campaign is over. With half a million advertising campaigns launched every year, this offers huge potential in reducing server and energy use.

“Companies from all sectors are invited to visit www.trashtheads.org and take part in the initiative. The most ecological approach to server space is to just use as little as possible. It is no more complicated than that. Deleting unused data from servers immediately limits energy consumption and the corresponding CO₂ emissions. A deliberate press on the delete button is all that’s required. And there are plenty of other small interventions that together could have a huge impact. The more emails, photos and other files that we all keep, the more servers must continue to run and be cooled. Even if the files are never consulted.” ​
​Estelle Bouvier, media strategist for Decathlon

Fifth less CO₂ in five years

By working with Mediaplus Belgium, Decathlon is leading the field in demonstrating how sustainability can be integrated into every aspect of a company, from concept to product and onto the related advertising. Decathlon strives for sustainability by reducing the ecological footprint of its products and business operations at every stage. The sports brand focuses on the use of sustainable materials and endeavours to apply circular economy principles whereby products are reusable or recyclable. Decathlon also works hard to reduce its CO₂ emissions, both in the production chain and stores, and realise a more sustainable logistics process. 

By 2026, the sports brand aims to have reduced its CO₂ emissions by 20% compared to 2021.

“Of course, production, logistics and the sales of our products have the biggest impact within our current business model. We are doing all we can to reduce the daily impact by further developing our eco-design strategy and really focussing on circular business models, such as second-hand, repair and rental. For us, it's not about ownership but use and reuse. Initiatives like Trash the Ads are also important as they are a great example of how you can have an impact with just one push of a (delete) button. Doing your best to make a difference doesn’t have to be complicated. You just need to think about it and want to make the change.” ​
​Nathan Goddefroy, sustainability leader for Decathlon