Martin Shankland, member of the adidas Executive Board responsible for Global Operations, said:

We have doubled down on our commitment to sustainability as a focus area in our ‘Own the Game’ strategy and are proud to see this being recognized externally.

“The results underline our leadership approach to manage sustainability across all dimensions and the entire company. We are convinced that the continued integration of sustainability into our strategy will support ongoing future success of adidas – in the interest of all stakeholders.”  

In its assessment, S&P emphasizes adidas’ industry-leading approach to innovation, supply chain management and consumer engagement. In particular, credit is given to adidas’ ambitions to scale the use of sustainable materials, to expand circular services and to deliver against ambitious net-zero emission targets. In addition to adidas’ strong control mechanisms over its supply chain ensuring fair and safe labor practices, the analysis also calls out the integration of a sustainability target into the compensation system of the Executive Board. The close interaction between the Supervisory Board and the Executive Board is seen as exemplary and supportive of the overall strategy execution.