Bengaluru, India – July 25, 2025 – In a groundbreaking move set to revolutionize cricket, Decathlon India’s cricket division is joining forces with the UK’s renowned Centre for Sustainable Design (CfSD) at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA). This pioneering collaboration, dubbed the Circular Cricket Gear Partnership (CCGP), aims to create the world’s first mass-produced cricket equipment based on circular economy principles.
Given cricket’s immense popularity in India, this initiative directly addresses the environmental impact of sports manufacturing while also striving to make high-quality gear more accessible to millions of Indian customers. The initial focus of the partnership will be on two high-demand items: cricket gloves and leg guards. The goal is to develop market-ready prototypes by early 2026, setting a new global standard for sustainability in the sports industry.
The CCGP will combine CfSD’s cutting-edge research in circular design with Decathlon’s extensive industrial expertise and deep understanding of the Indian sports market. At its core, the project seeks to integrate circularity into the very DNA of product design. This means creating equipment that’s not only durable but also easily repairable and designed for disassembly, reuse, and recycling. Such an approach will drastically minimize waste and open doors for innovative business models like “buy-back” schemes and refurbishment programs, potentially making cricket more affordable for aspiring players across India.
Rob Davies, Sport Director for Cricket at Decathlon, emphasized the significance of this partnership: “Cricket has evolved tremendously, reflecting the dynamic environments where it’s played. Through this collaboration, we’re bringing that evolution to equipment manufacturing and distribution. Our aim is to make the sport more sustainable, ensuring future generations can continue to be inspired by the wonders of cricket.”
Decathlon has long prioritized sustainability, embedding durability and repairability into its products. This partnership represents a significant acceleration of that commitment within one of its most crucial global markets.
Annie George, Leader Sustainable Development, Decathlon India, shared her enthusiasm: “It’s incredibly exciting and meaningful to bring circular design to a sport so deeply woven into India’s culture. We are fully committed to transitioning from a linear to a circular model – one where waste is minimized, and resources are kept in use for as long as possible. Our partnership with CfSD is a clear reflection of this commitment and a strategic leap towards building responsible, regenerative, and future-ready circular systems.”
Professor Martin Charter, Director of The Centre for Sustainable Design (CfSD) at UCA, highlighted the project’s global implications: “This collaboration with Decathlon is a pivotal step towards embedding circularity into sports equipment. India is the heartland of cricket, and innovating here means creating a scalable model for the rest of the world. It’s not just about creating better gear; it’s about creating gear with a better environmental footprint and making a real impact on cricket.”
Beyond the initial prototypes, the Circular Cricket Gear Partnership envisions serving as an open-source model, inspiring the application of circular design principles to other sports products and driving a systemic shift across the entire industry.
