Playing it Forward For Our Planet: A CEO’s Advice to Other Leaders
When I first joined the DICK’S Sporting Goods family in 2011, a major goal of mine was to connect with our customers across the country. By speaking with thousands of our employees and their sports-fanatic neighbors, I learned that sports can change lives. The presence of sports begins early in most people’s lives and becomes an integral part of their upbringing. Therefore, we should be meeting our customers where they are: at their community sports centers, after-school sports programs, and local sports leagues.
However, the future of sport depends on something bigger than the game itself–it depends on the health of our planet and the strength of the communities that sustain it.
At DICK’S Sporting Goods, we believe that if we are going to be a company that serves athletes, we must also be a company that protects the environments and ecosystems where sport lives. For us, sustainability is embedded in how we operate, how we partner with other businesses, and how we grow.
Our sustainability strategy starts at the very root of our business with the suppliers we work with. We are working diligently to ensure our product partners meet rigorous environmental and ethical standards, from emissions tracking to responsibly recycled materials and waste management.
In our stores, we are focused on reducing waste in tangible, customer-facing ways such as eliminating single-use plastic bags and exploring more sustainable packaging solutions. Shipping boxes and mailers can be included in curbside recycling, while plastic shopping bags can be returned to our stores and recycled for you. These actions may seem small in isolation, but collectively, they represent a shift in mindset: from convenience-driven decisions to responsibility-driven ones.
But sustainability isn’t just environmental–it’s social, too. I am a mother and dedicated member of my community, and I hold youth sports very close to my heart. In 2014, I spearheaded the DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation Sports Matter initiative, which has provided more than $110 million in grants and sponsorships to youth sports programs and enabled over one million children to have access to sports. Through investing in local sports, we are empowering the next generation to experience the power of play, because a sustainable future for sports is not just about preserving fields and venues—it’s about preserving opportunity.
My commitment to activism and sustainability stems from my belief that DICK’S, along with any other corporation, must be doing good in the communities it serves, above all else. When we show up for our community, they show up for us. Ensuring that DICK’S Sporting Goods continues paying (or should I say, playing) it forward to our environment is a top priority for me.
I encourage my fellow business leaders to reexamine the purpose of environmental sustainability practices. Sustainability requires collaboration across industries, across supply chains, and across communities. It requires us to rethink outdated business models and embrace new ones, because the future of sports isn’t guaranteed. The power to protect our planet for the next generation is in our hands–take a moment and discover the impact of “playing” it forward.
Signed,
Lauren Hobart, CEO of DICK’S Sporting Goods
Strategy Note
The purpose of this thought-leadership piece is to highlight DICK’S Sporting Goods CEO Lauren Hobart’s commitment to sustainability and community outreach to preserve our planet. Hobart walks the reader through how DICK’S is environmentally conscious during every phase of business, from choosing to partner with sustainable product suppliers to creating easy ways for customers to recycle their product packaging in stores.
The tone of the thought-leadership piece is casual and inspiring, an all-call from Hobart to all other business leaders to reframe the word “sustainability” to not only mean sustaining the environment but also sustaining opportunities for the next generation–there won’t be a future for sports if there isn’t a field to play on. This messaging aligns perfectly with the overall DICK’S Sporting Goods brand, as it has always been largely focused on giving back to the communities it serves and protecting the power of play.