Brussels, 26 February 2025
Today, the European Commission unveiled its first Omnibus simplification package proposal to streamline sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements across the European Union. The Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry (FESI) supports the Commission’s commitment to improving regulatory clarity and reducing administrative burdens for businesses, while maintaining progress toward a sustainable future.
“We welcome the Commission’s efforts to harmonise sustainability regulations across the EU and reduce unnecessary red tape. It is crucial that regulatory changes do not introduce new legal obligations that could increase compliance costs, especially for SMEs. At the same time, the development of clear CSDDD guidelines and compliance tools must be accelerated to ensure businesses have the necessary resources to meet upcoming requirements.”, commented FESI Secretary General Jérôme Pero.
The sporting goods industry currently faces significant operational burdens due to the rise in reporting requirements, which demand considerable time, financial resources, and data management efforts for companies. The expanding number of reporting data points has also created a costly and complex compliance landscape, particularly affecting SMEs, where resources spent on reporting detract from sustainability initiatives and core business functions.
To ensure that the industry’s transition toward greater sustainability remains both achievable and proportionate—particularly for small businesses, which represent nearly 75% of FESI members—FESI has outlined the following recommendations to the Commission and co-legislators in its latest position paper[1]:
- Avoiding new legal obligations: While streamlining rules is essential, it is vital to avoid expanding legal obligations or introducing substantial changes that could disrupt business operations. Regulatory adjustments should focus on reducing administrative burdens and clarifying existing frameworks. Simultaneously, developing compliance tools and guidelines on the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) must remain a priority to help businesses adapt effectively.
- Involving industry in consultations: Industry stakeholders, including sporting goods companies, should be consulted at every stage of the legislative process to ensure adopted legislations are realistic and workable. With extensive and long-term expertise in supply chains and circular economy practices, the sporting goods sector can offer valuable insights—particularly in textiles and footwear.
- Ensuring consistent implementation: Harmonised regulations are essential to maintaining a level playing field. Inconsistent requirements risk creating competitive imbalances and undermining supply chain transparency. Predictable and uniform standards will help all companies comply with sustainability rules.
“We need to keep the EU market and EU companies competitive. After proposing and implementing several dozens of new sustainability laws over the past years, the European Commission needs to focus now on reviewing and simplifying the enforced legislation. The goal must be to reduce excessive administrative burden and eliminate overlaps between different laws. Rules need to be practical and support competitiveness”, commented Diego Antončić, Chair of FESI Corporate Responsibility Committee.
With the Omnibus Package now moving through the EU’s ordinary legislative process, FESI remains committed to collaborating with the EU institutions to ensure that industry expertise contributes to shaping practical, fair, and effective sustainability regulations. To foster this dialogue, FESI will host a high-level conference titled “Clarifying and Simplifying Sustainability Rules: Building Effective Policies for the European Sporting Goods Industry” on March 20th in Brussels[2]. This important event will bring together EU decision-makers, industry leaders, and sustainability experts to discuss the Omnibus package’s impacts and explore collaborative solutions for sustainable growth in Europe.
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About FESI: Founded in 1960 FESI – the Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry represents the interests of approximately 1.800 sporting goods manufacturers (85% of the European market) through its National Sporting Goods Industry Federations and its directly affiliated member companies. 70-75% of FESI’s membership is made up of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises. In total, the European Sporting Goods Industry employs over 700.000 EU citizens and has an annual turnover of some 81 billion euro.
Contact: Ariane Gatti, FESI Senior Communication & Policy Manager/ [email protected] / +32 274 08 94
