Dick’s Sporting Goods details environmental, social goals

Dick’s Sporting Goods remains committed to improving the environment, supporting youth sports and creating an inclusive workplace for its employees. 

As detailed in the sporting goods giant’s 2020 Purpose Playbook, its third annual sustainability report, Dick’s has signed on to the “We Are Still In” initiative in support of the Paris Climate Agreement. In other eco-friendly moves, the company will phase out single-use plastic bags in its stores by 2025. It also has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030.

In the report, Dick’s noted that it remains committed to equal pay for equal work regardless of gender, race, or ethnicity. Moving forward, the retailer has laid out ambitious new goals to both grow Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) representation in company leadership roles by 30% and increase overall representation of women in store leadership to 40% by 2025

The report also emphasized that Dick’s support of youth sports continues to be a priority for the entire company. Since 2014, the chain has committed more than $189 million to support youth athletes through its Sports Matter initiative. It is tracked to meet its goal of providing 1 million young people with the opportunity to play sports by 2024. 

In this year alone, Dick’s doubled its Sports Matter Community Grant program to $6 million and invested $5 million in Every Kid Sports to cover registration fees to help families impacted by COVID-19 get their kids back into the game. By the end 2021, Dick’s Sports Matter Giving Truck will have provided sports equipment to more than 35,000 under resourced kids.

“Now more than ever, people are looking to the business community for energy and action in solving some of the world’s most pressing issues,” Lauren Hobart, president and CEO, wrote in the report. “We will continue to expand our focus to include a greater emphasis on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. I am enthusiastic about what we can accomplish. None of it will be easy, but all of it is possible because of our teammates’ extraordinary efforts and passion.”

The full report can be viewed here.