In recent years, the cycling sports market has experienced explosive growth in China. Cycling is a great trend that integrates exercise, leisure, and culture, and due to its zero-emission environmental features, it is beloved by green consumers.
In the face of the climate crisis, large sports equipment companies like Decathlon have begun requiring suppliers to calculate and disclose the carbon footprint of their products. Transparency in supply chain carbon emission data is crucial for supply chain carbon management.
The green transformation of the cycling equipment industry has already begun. Recently, as a supplier to Decathlon, Shun Chuen Metal Products Co., Ltd. (ShunCheun) has taken proactive steps, with the support of Carbon Newture, to complete carbon footprint calculations and organizational carbon inventory for its bicycle racks and parking racks, and received certification from the authoritative third-party organization TÜV SÜD.
Shun Chuen has obtained product carbon footprint and organizational carbon certificates
The domestic and international cycling boom leads to rapid market growth
Cycling culture is becoming increasingly popular in China, with its popularity rising on social media. In the outdoor sports category on platforms like Douyin, cycling has the fastest growth. In 2023, the cycling category became a star sector on Douyin, with a sales volume of over 4 billion yuan and an annual growth rate of 414%.
Globally, cycling culture has taken deep root in many countries, including the United States, where cycling covers various activities, from daily commuting to mountain adventures.
Image source: Giant official website
Meanwhile, the rise of global cycling culture has driven the booming development of the bicycle and cycling equipment markets and industries.
According to the Retailx-2023 Global Sports Sector research report, global bicycle demand saw significant growth in 2019, 2020, and 2021, especially in the European market. In 2020, the European bicycle market grew by an astonishing 40%, reaching 18 billion euros.
China's bicycle market is also expanding. According to iMedia Consulting's 2022-2023 Global and Chinese Bicycle Industry Monitoring and Consumer Demand Survey Report, the market size is expected to reach 265.77 billion yuan by 2027. Furthermore, the growth in the cycling market is primarily driven by increasing demand for mid- to high-end bicycles. According to the China Bicycle Association, in 2023, bicycles priced over 1,000 yuan accounted for 24.9% of total production, and sales of high-end sports bicycles grew by more than 10%, showing the immense potential of the high-end market.
Bicycle Accessories, Source: Shun Chuen
In addition, China is the largest producer and exporter of bicycles in the world, with a production volume of 48.83 million bicycles and an export volume of 39.65 million bicycles in 2023.
Carbon Footprint Calculation Adds "Green Transparency" to the Cycling Industry Chain, Promoting Sustainable Consumption Development
Cycling, as a zero-emission and pollution-free mode of transport, is increasingly favored by consumers, sparking the trend of sustainable consumption in the cycling market.
The rise of cycling culture in China can be attributed to its low-carbon, environmentally friendly, and healthy characteristics. Cycling culture naturally aligns with green and low-carbon concepts, which also enhances the green value added to bicycle products and increases market demand.
While the cycling equipment market shows high growth potential, the bicycle industry chain is evolving toward a green, low-carbon direction. Major companies like Decathlon are implementing strict carbon footprint calculations and green, low-carbon requirements in their supply chain management to achieve a green transformation across the entire industry chain.
As a multinational sporting goods giant, Decathlon is committed to promoting sustainable consumption in the sports sector and developing a low-carbon supply chain.
Image source: Decathlon's 2023 sustainability report
Decathlon's official website clearly states: "Supply chain decarbonization transformation is an important part of Decathlon's business model transformation. Our global procurement responsibility is to engage the entire value chain, motivating and coordinating our supplier network to work together to achieve carbon neutrality."
Decathlon is dedicated to driving its suppliers to reduce carbon emissions based on the science-based targets approach, while also focusing on the environmental impact throughout the product's entire lifecycle.
This means that for Decathlon's supply chain enterprises, carbon footprint calculations need to cover the entire lifecycle of a product—from raw material procurement, manufacturing, distribution, use, to disposal.
Image source: Decathlon's 2023 sustainability report
More and more of Decathlon's suppliers are measuring the carbon dioxide emissions of their production sites, as seen in Decathlon's 2023 sustainability report. This demonstrates Decathlon's increasingly stringent management of suppliers, implying that suppliers who conduct organizational carbon inventories and meet the required standards will have a competitive advantage.
Shun Chuen Metal Products Co., Ltd., established in 1993, is one of MASSLOAD's mainland branches in Taiwan. As a supplier to Decathlon, Shun Chuen Metal Products Co., Ltd. has proactively acted by completing carbon footprint calculations and organizational carbon inventories for its bicycle racks and parking racks with the help of Carbon Newture and obtained certification from TÜV SÜD. This initiative is not only in response to the requirements of its lead enterprise but also part of its foresight in preparing for increasingly stringent environmental regulations in European and American markets.
