A wave of new sustainability reports has landed across the outdoor sector. Which ones offer real insight into progress and challenges, that non-experts can also understand? Suston dives into the reporting jungle to share key insights – and three pioneering sustainability reports from outdoor brands.

Sustainability reports are increasingly used by outdoor brands to show how they manage their environmental and social impacts and risks. But do stakeholders understand – and engage? With the right approach, such reports can be powerful tools that guide decision-making, track progress, and ultimately, build trust.

Yet as legal requirements grow more demanding and stakeholder expectations rise, not every report keeps pace. There are several recognized ways to assess the quality of a sustainability report.

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), for example, provides guidelines for clear and complete reporting, with a focus on the most important environmental and social topics.

Meanwhile, the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) introduces the idea of double materiality, asking companies to report both their impact on the world and how global challenges affect their business. Other methods, like the Balanced Scorecard, help evaluate whether a company’s goals are backed up by real actions and results.

Philipp Olsmeyer is an Account Manager specializing in sustainability reporting at NORR Agency, the parent company of Suston Magazine. He explains:

“These frameworks share three core criteria: materiality, intent–action–outcomes, and clarity with validation.”

“A strong report identifies all relevant sustainability issues for its operations and stakeholders, articulates clear goals and actions, and shares measurable results. It presents this information transparently, with third-party validation where possible.”

Always remember the stakeholders’ perspective

When planning and producing such reports, it’s important to focus on the stakeholders’ perspectives.

“How do you transform pure information into engaging communication? Readability, usability, layout, tonality – all the classical editorial tools should be used by the team.”

“At the same time, be careful about using the results for marketing purposes. It can easily tip over into greenwashing. Transparency and accountability are always key,” says Olsmeyer.

Outdoor companies’ reporting – a wide spectrum

Today, far from all outdoor companies produce sustainability reports – and among the ones that do, there’s a wide spectrum. For this review, Suston has dived into dozens of reports.

Some are little more than box-ticking exercises, offering polished branding rather than clear, measurable substance. Others highlight only their strongest initiatives, leaving gaping holes around the challenges or trade-offs that these represent.

But some also manage to balance the different needs of a good report and share their journey in ways that stakeholders (such as media) can understand. Here, we present three pioneering examples – Thule, Decathalon and Rab – along with their strengths, challenges, and other strong benchmarks.

Photo: Thule

Thule: Solid foundations with room to expand

Thule’s 2024 sustainability report stands out as one of the more advanced efforts in the outdoor sector, reflecting both regulatory alignment and a genuine intent to integrate sustainability into business strategy.

The report follows a double materiality approach, in line with the EU’s CSRD and ESRS 1 guidance. Thule identifies and assesses its key environmental and social impacts across the value chain, applying thresholds to determine which topics are most material. Notably, climate change, supply chain due diligence, and employee health and safety were prioritized – insights shaped by stakeholder engagement with investors, customers, and suppliers.

Transparency is a consistent strength. Greenhouse gas emissions data, covering scopes 1–3, is independently assured by South Pole using the AA1000AS standard and GHG Protocol, adding credibility. Stakeholder dialogue is clearly integrated into the reporting process, and the language and structure of the report make it accessible to non-specialists.

Where the report could improve is in tracking outcomes. While it sets long-term goals – such as a 90% reduction in GHG emissions by 2050 – and describes initiatives like material substitutions and design updates, it does not always quantify short-term progress toward those targets. The link between intent, action, and measurable outcomes remains somewhat abstract.

Still, Thule’s sustainability reporting is well ahead of many peers. It balances compliance with engagement, and provides a clear, readable picture of the company’s sustainability journey. An extra plus for the layout.  With more granular performance data and clearer year-on-year comparisons, it could become a true benchmark in the sector.

Decathlon: Ambitious action, but gaps remain in outcomes

Photo: Decathalon

Decathlon’s 2024 Non-Financial Reporting Declaration outlines a broad and ambitious sustainability agenda. From circular product design to global stakeholder dialogue, the report reflects a company actively embedding ESG principles into its business operations.

The structure is well-organized, and the tone strikes a balance between commitment and openness. It includes specific targets such as reducing absolute CO₂ emissions by 20% by 2026 (compared to 2021), and it reports extensively on human rights due diligence across its supply chain. Notably, Decathlon engages a wide array of stakeholders – including teammates, civil society, banks, and investors.

The report confirms that its GHG emissions data is externally verified by the consultancy Carbone 4 using France’s ADEME methodology and Bilans GES® tool. These calculations are also used in Decathlon’s reporting to CDP, adding a layer of credibility and comparability.

While the report details many actions, the double materiality assessment as defined by the CSRD is hard to grasp for an outsider. Similarly, measurable outcomes are scattered—some indicators are tracked, but many goals are not clearly tied to KPIs or year-on-year performance metrics. The layout is more on the informative side, rather than engaging.

However, Decathlon’s report demonstrates clear action and growing maturity in sustainability communication. It covers a wide range of topics, engages stakeholders well, and includes partial external validation.

Rab: Measurable goals and uncommon transparency

Rab’s 2025 Sustainability Report, produced by parent company Equip Outdoor Technologies, delivers one of the clearest disclosures in the outdoor sector. The report offers a strong combination of vision, measurable progress, and openness about challenges, making it a standout example of how to communicate sustainability without slipping into greenwashing.

At the core of the report is a robust intent–action–outcome structure. Rab reports against clearly defined goals, such as net-zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030, net-zero Scope 3 by 2040, and ambitious product targets like using recycled fabrics in 90% of products by 2030. Each of these goals is supported by concrete initiatives and transparent performance data. For example, the report openly notes a 13% increase in Scope 3 emissions due to growing sales – while outlining how product design and material strategies will counterbalance this in the long term.

Third-party validation is another strength. Rab uses the GHG Protocol for emissions reporting, partners with ClimatePartner for footprint assessments, and applies the Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s Higg Index to track product impacts.

While Rab identifies material sustainability issues through a clear matrix, it stops short of conducting a double materiality assessment (as defined by the CSRD). Additionally, stakeholder engagement – though evident through NGO partnerships and worker welfare programs – is not presented as a formalized or recurring process.

Still, Rab’s combination of storytelling, transparent data, and measurable KPIs sets a high bar in the industry. It shows how a brand can communicate progress honestly – acknowledging complexity while making its sustainability journey accessible to experts and non-experts alike.

Photo: Rab

Lead Photo: Unsplash

Also check out the Suston article Sustainability Reporting Do’s and Don’ts