Subsidiaries of Dick’s Sporting Goods
- Field & Stream
- Golf Galaxy
Key Findings
- Dick’s Sporting Goods has established a restricted substance list of 22 chemicals or classes of chemicals for its private-brand products. Chemicals of high concern (CHCs) on the list include: alkylphenol (AP)/alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEOs), flame retardants (if applied), some heavy metals, perfluorinated and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), and phthalates. The company stated in December 2020 that its vertical brands adhere to the bluesign standard, which functions as a beyond restricted substance list (BRSL) and a manufacturing restricted substance list (MRSL).
- As reported in December 2020, the company has taken some action to phase out CHCs and has established some testing programs to address compliance.
Recommendations for Dick’s Sporting Goods
- Dick’s Sporting Goods can make progress by strengthening its accountability measures to ensure its private-label products are in fact free of the CHCs on its primary BRSL and the bluesign RSL/MRSL. The company should also prioritize developing a public written safer chemicals policy that sets out a broad framework for restricting chemicals of high concern (CHCs) in national-brand products in addition to private-label products. Dick’s should set public quantifiable goals with clear timelines for reducing and eliminating CHCs and a transparent and thorough process for evaluating alternatives to the CHCs to ensure the alternatives are safer.
- The company should also eliminate plastics of environmental health concern (PEHCs), including polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride, from its product and packaging materials. Dick’s Sporting Goods should publicly disclose the alternatives used to replace CHCs or PEHCs after eliminating them.
- The company should become a signatory to the Chemical Footprint Project and pilot it with key private label suppliers.
How does Dick's Sporting Goods compare to its competitors?
Analysis of Dick’s Sporting Goods
Oversight: Established management responsibilities and incentives
Disclosure: Requires suppliers to report use of chemicals in products to retailer
Action: Reduced or eliminated chemicals of high concern (CHCs) or plastics of environmental health concern (PEHCs) within the last three years
Safer Alternatives: Evaluates safer alternatives, avoids regrettable substitutes
Transparency: Demonstrates a commitment to transparency and public disclosure
Third-party Standards: Promotes credible third-party standards for safer products
Extra Credit:
Joint Announcement: Public commitment demonstrated through joint announcement
Continuous Improvement: Shows continuous improvement by steadily expanding safer chemicals policy
Collaboration: Actively participates in collaborative process to promote safer chemicals
Impact Investment: Investing financial resources into independent research into safer alternatives and/or green chemistry solutions