Sustainability Potentials of Sporting Goods

Sports are becoming increasingly relevant in society. Around 72 per cent of men and 65 per cent of women do sports at least once a week. One eighth of the German population is a member of one of the approximately 8,500 fitness studios and almost 28 million Germans keep physically fit through sports activities in clubs. This is also associated with a high consumption of sporting goods such as textiles, shoes, sports equipment and food supplements.

Within the project "NH-Sport – Analysis of Development Potentials of Sustainability in the Sporting Goods Industry", scientists from the Wuppertal Institute and other partners from science and industry are working on behalf of the Federal Environment Agency to strengthen the potential of sporting goods for sustainable social development. In addition, the negative environmental impacts of consumption and production within the sporting goods industry are to be reduced through relevant measures. The Wuppertal Institut together with its project partners, therefore analyses the environmental impacts of sporting goods from key areas and will examine and evaluate the potentials for resource conservation and increased sustainability in various areas of the sporting goods production.

Throughout the project there will be workshops with both consumers and industry representatives, surveys on purchasing behaviour, and recommendations for action to consumers and policy makers.