Amer Sports has reported an increase in its total greenhouse gas emissions in 2025, highlighting the persistent challenge global sporting goods companies face in balancing fast-paced commercial growth with long-term climate goals.
In its latest sustainability report, the Finland-based group said its “absolute emissions” — the total volume of greenhouse gases produced across its operations and value chain — rose compared with the previous year. The company linked the increase primarily to stronger business performance, which drove higher production volumes, expanded logistics activity and broader global distribution across its brands.
Amer Sports, which owns outdoor and sportswear brands including Arc’teryx, Salomon and Wilson, has been in a phase of accelerated expansion, particularly in premium outdoor gear and direct-to-consumer channels. This growth has increased manufacturing output and supply chain activity, both of which contribute significantly to the company’s overall carbon footprint.
The rise in emissions underscores a structural reality in the apparel and sporting goods industry: emissions often track business growth in the short term, even when companies are actively investing in decarbonisation. While operational efficiency gains can reduce emissions intensity — the amount of emissions per product or per unit of revenue — total emissions can still increase when production scales up rapidly.
A significant portion of Amer Sports’ footprint comes from Scope 3 emissions, which include indirect emissions generated across its value chain such as raw material sourcing, manufacturing processes, transportation and logistics. These emissions are widely regarded as the most difficult to control, as they depend heavily on supplier infrastructure, energy mix and global trade flows.
Although Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions — those directly controlled by the company — can be reduced more quickly through renewable energy adoption and efficiency upgrades, Scope 3 emissions tend to rise alongside production volumes. This dynamic helps explain why companies can report progress in certain climate metrics while still seeing increases in their total emissions footprint.
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Despite the increase, Amer Sports reiterated its long-term climate commitments, including science-based net-zero targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative. The company aims to significantly reduce emissions across its operations by 2030 and achieve deep decarbonisation across its value chain by 2050.
The group has also outlined ongoing initiatives aimed at addressing emissions across its supplier network, including engagement programmes, material innovation efforts and improved emissions tracking systems. These measures are intended to gradually reduce the carbon intensity of its products while supporting continued business expansion.
Industry observers say Amer Sports’ latest disclosure reflects a broader trend across the global apparel and sporting goods sector, where growth and sustainability objectives often move in opposite directions in the short term. As brands expand into new markets and scale production, emissions increases remain a common outcome despite efficiency improvements.
This has intensified scrutiny from investors and environmental stakeholders, who are increasingly focused on whether companies can demonstrate not only long-term climate pledges but also near-term reductions in absolute emissions. The gap between growth-driven expansion and emissions reduction remains one of the most pressing challenges in corporate sustainability.
Amer Sports has positioned its sustainability strategy as a long-term transformation effort, emphasising that meaningful reductions in emissions require structural changes across complex global supply chains. The company argues that scaling its business is also essential to funding and accelerating those changes.
However, the latest figures illustrate the difficulty of achieving simultaneous growth and decarbonisation in an industry heavily dependent on resource-intensive manufacturing and global logistics networks.
As the company continues to expand its brand portfolio and international reach, the key test will be whether its climate initiatives can eventually outpace the emissions generated by its growth trajectory. For now, the 2025 sustainability report highlights both progress in strategy and the ongoing challenge of translating ambition into absolute reductions across the value chain.
