Growing up as the youngest of three boys who all played baseball, basketball and tennis made me pretty competitive. I’ll never forget the first time I beat my oldest brother in a game of 1-on-1 in the driveway.
Taking on tough challenges and having a competitive spirit can drive change. 2020 was a year in which the hardships facing our teammates, our communities and our planet demanded our attention; and the year caused us to look inward and challenge ourselves to determine how we can continue to make a positive impact on society.
To this challenge we say, "Game on!”
Today, I’m pleased to announce the publication of our 2020 Purpose Playbook. It provides a clear view into our company, the actions we have taken, and the commitments we have made.
- Protecting our home court is a top priority. We signed on to the "We Are Still In" initiative in support of the Paris Climate Agreement, are phasing out single-use plastic bags in stores by 2025 and are committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030.
- We remain committed to equal pay for equal work regardless of gender, race, or ethnicity. Our recruitment efforts have helped make progress on this goal. Moving forward, we’ve laid out ambitious new goals to both grow Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) representation in leadership roles by 30% and increase overall representation of women in store leadership to 40% by 2025. To support Inclusion & Diversity within our stores, distribution centers and corporate office, we initiated 19 Impact Teams across every part of our organization.
- Our support of youth sports continues to be a priority for the entire company. Since 2014, we’ve committed more than $189 million to support youth athletes through our Sports Matter initiative. We are on track to meet our goal of providing 1 million young people with the opportunity to play sports by 2024. This year alone, we doubled our Sports Matter Community Grant program to $6 million, we invested $5 million in Every Kid Sports to cover registration fees to help families impacted by COVID-19 get their kids back into the game, and by the end of 2021, our Sports Matter Giving Truck will have provided sports equipment to more than 35,000 under resourced kids.
At the heart of our success is the more than 50,000 teammates that make up the DICK'S Sporting Goods family. Their efforts during the pandemic to keep themselves and athletes safe through cleaning protocols, curbside pickup, and other efforts cannot be overstated.
This is only a brief glimpse into the incredible amount of work that has been done. There's so much more in the Playbook. I implore you to give it a read and work with us to improve the lives of those around us. If you're anything like me, you'll be up for the challenge.
Peter Land
Chief Communications and Sustainability Officer