Overcoming hurdles in sports' sustainability journey

With the threat of severe flooding of stadiums, the increasing scarcity of snow and ice, the effect of extreme air pollution and high temperatures on health, and the overall inevitability of greater environmental inconsistency will make participating in, planning for, and hosting sport events increasingly more difficult.

Some – even many, at this point – have already taken crucial steps toward not only decreasing their negative effects on the environment but have also worked to enhance and improve their positive impact. 

With examples ranging from Forest Green Rovers’ all vegan menu and overall culture of sustainability to International Biathlon Union’s commitments to more sustainable events and operations to Ajax’s Johann Cruijff Arena’s innovation around waste management and energy use, there are many reasons to be optimistic. 

Yet, there is still much room for growth, and organisations must integrate sustainability throughout their commitments and actions. 

To take this step further, three key challenges must be addressed.

1. There is a lack of key data and information specifically relevant to sport which would help organisations better understand and address their key sources of emissions and overall impact, both positive and negative. In an industry that tracks everything – from heartrates to hashtags – the data is there for the taking. Mining and analysing it and then making its results accessible and understandable can help guide an organisation’s strategy in a more informed and pragmatic manner. 

For example, when considering the amount of data that comes through ticketing, organisations can gain a general understanding of where event attendees are coming from and work to minimise their transport emissions by curating specific transport guides that incentivise lower impact options. Some possibilities could include:

• Providing information about public transportation routes and offering discount concessions at the stadium as an incentive for people who use it.
• Match day ticketholders receiving free access to public transport both before and after the match, as is already done with many clubs, including this FC Basel example.
• Partnering with a mobility app, as Venezia F.C. recently did with Moovit, to encourage using public or shared transport and creating a gametime atmosphere before even reaching the stadium.
• Offering free bicycle parking, as SC Freiburg has done to meet the needs of over 10 per cent of its stadium capacity, again with possible prizes or incentives for those who choose this method of transport.
• Encouraging fans to join together to walk to the stadium, as the Seattle Sounders do in their March to the Match.

2. Siloed sustainability resources and lack of organisational buy-in can limit overall commitment to the integration of sustainable practices within an organisation’s operations. Siloing these activities can often lead to:

• A company culture devoid of interest in or understanding of sustainability, as well as a lack of knowledge about the organisation’s strategy and commitments.
• A designated sustainability person who has no involvement with other organisational work and is often isolated both physically and professionally within the organisation.
• Those working in sustainability roles often having an additional title, which often leads to prioritising other work over sustainability, and
• Lack of buy-in from leadership, who place profit over planet and see sustainability as little more than a PR opportunity, limiting the budget and resources provided for it.

To address this, there is a need for greater understanding that sustainability can be both profitable and good for the overall performance of an organisation.

According to a McKinsey study on the impact of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) priorities, it was found that more efficient use of resources could enhance operating profits by up to 60 per cent, strengthening the argument for the economic benefits of sustainable practices.

In addition, organisations need to acknowledge that sustainability is an important factor both in career choice and satisfaction for young talent. A 2021 survey from Deloitte found that 49 per cent of Gen Z and 44 per cent of millennial respondents made career choices based on personal ethics. 

A more recent study from the Global Sustainability Activator found that 67 per cent of Gen Z and 64 per cent of millennials agree that sustainability is important when choosing a company.

For potential sponsors, this could also be a determining factor. We are already seeing brands choosing to go with rights holders that align with their environmental and social goals. Nielsen Sports report in 2021 determined that rights holders with a sustainability agenda could grow their revenues by 11 per cent over the next three to five years.

Sustainability needs to become an intrinsic component of an organisation’s overall strategy and purpose for the organisation to stay relevant and functioning in the future.

3. The current short-term focus or hurried approach to putting out sustainability actions and strategies is aimed at satisfying public opinion and increasing immediate profitability more than achieving organisational change.

While the results may be the same regardless of the motivation, oftentimes those without a long term vision and commitment fall short because they do not understand the whats, whys, and hows of implementing their plans.

Offsetting and using carbon credits is one way that many organisations are achieving their net zero ambitions. This, in most cases, is an appropriate stop-gap solution. Yet, according to a January 2023 Guardian report, “more than 90 per cent of rainforest carbon offsets by the biggest certifier are worthless,” and many more are in question. It will require much more due diligence on the part of organisations to understand and choose which offsets are appropriate for their work. One additional approach many are starting to consider is insetting.

Sport has a long way to go to on its sustainability journey. As Robert Louis Stevenson once said, “Sooner or later, everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences.” Inevitably, sport will sit down to its proverbial banquet, and if it chooses to take the right actions and address its key challenges now, the consequences could just be rewards.

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About the authors

Mia Salvemini has worked in the sport and sustainability sector for over six years, currently with Two Circles, with a special focus on purpose-led partnerships and sustainability strategy development and implementation. Rachel Hall is a consultant at Two Circles, leading their carbon footprint measurement and reporting.