The Desert Vipers 2025 UAE – India BioBlitz, powered by Styrex by Fuelre4m, demonstrates how professional sport can be a powerful force for biodiversity conservation. The 12-day citizen science initiative connected communities across the UAE and India through a shared mission to discover, document, and celebrate wildlife.
Participants were joined by Desert Vipers players and environmental experts to explore diverse ecosystems including mountains, mangroves, and urban parks. 103 participants recorded 1,961 wildlife observations representing 641 species, generating valuable ecological data while strengthening people’s connection with nature. The social impact value was $117,000, demonstrating its immense value to society.
The project combined sport, technology, and community engagement to transform nature into an accessible experience, while social media extended the project’s reach to hundreds of thousands more people.
Building on a successful pilot in Season 3, the BioBlitz has now documented 738 species through 2,271 observations across two seasons, demonstrating the initiative’s growing impact.
By showing that biodiversity conservation can be inclusive, enjoyable, and valuable, the Desert Vipers have created a scalable model that other sports organisations can adopt. The BioBlitz proves that when sport, citizen science, and communities work together, they can create lasting benefits for people and planet.
McLaren Racing and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation fast tracking reef recovery
OSCAR (Operational System for Coral Assembly and Restoration) is a world-first coral restoration robot developed through a collaboration between the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and McLaren Racing. Inspired by the precision of Formula 1 engineering, it tackles one of the biggest challenges in coral restoration: speed.
OSCAR is a semi-automated system that assembles ceramic coral seeding devices that carry and protect baby corals in their first year of life. These devices are placed onto damaged reefs, where the corals help rebuild healthy reef habitat.
By reducing assembly time from 90 seconds to as little as 10 seconds per device, OSCAR has the potential to increase annual production from around 100,000 devices to one million devices. This means millions more baby corals could be delivered to damaged reefs every year.
Developed by McLaren Racing and Great Barrier Reef Foundation, with background technology from the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Queensland University of Technology for use on the Great Barrier Reef, OSCAR shows how innovation and expertise from elite motorsport can be adapted to help solve urgent environmental challenges. By making coral restoration faster, more efficient and more affordable, it has the potential to transform global reef restoration efforts.
This project is a 25 year long satoyama management effort that restores and maintains biodiversity of Mobility Resort Motegi where international motor racing events are held. As of 2025, 5,800 species are found at the site and as a result of appropriate maintenance and monitoring our forest has become an important habitat where animals can forage, propagate and winter.
Using influential power as a sport event venue, we promote value of nature conservation to the general public through messages from riders of international racing events, messages to visitors, workshops in collaboration with schools, companies, and communities. Being recognized by OECM, our project has received international acclaim and is considered as a practicable model led by a company for achieving nature-positive.
Under our Long-Term Forest Plan for the period ending in 2030, we will further improve biodiversity and promote sustainable conservation model.
The Marine Megafauna in Sailing Guidelines, co-authored by World Sailing and the Marine Mammal Advisory Group (MMAG), is designed to help the sailing community reduce the risk of interactions between sailing vessels and marine megafauna, including whales, manatees, turtles, and other protected species. As the official guidance of sailing’s international governing body, the resource provides a practical and evidence-led approach to protecting biodiversity while supporting safe and responsible participation in the sport.
Built around MMAG’s six-pillar risk mitigation strategy, the initiative includes a comprehensive 50-page guidelines document featuring real-world case studies, alongside a supplementary quick-reference booklet for sailors and event managers. The quick guide contains checklists, decision-making flow charts, and marine megafauna identification tools to support implementation across all levels of the sport.
Adoption has rapidly expanded since publication. World-class events such as The Ocean Race have incorporated marine megafauna considerations into race routing and operational planning, the Newport Bermuda Race has strengthened hazard reporting protocols, and the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta has explored live acoustic monitoring solutions to improve marine wildlife awareness during breeding season. By translating science into practical action, the guidelines are helping establish a new global standard for biodiversity stewardship in sailing and demonstrating how sport can play a meaningful role in ocean conservation.
The Pollenticians: Workshops, Wildflowers, Bees and Hives
Eleven pupils from Forge Valley School successfully completed a Level 2 Environmental Leadership Qualification through Sheffield United Community Foundation’s Nature Based Blades (NBB) programme by designing and delivering a biodiversity project focused on supporting declining pollinator populations.
After investigating environmental issues within their local community, pupils identified the loss of pollinators as a key concern and developed a two-phase project centered on education and action. Working alongside local beekeeping specialists, pupils learned about the importance of bees, biodiversity and sustainable food systems before creating beeswax candles, lip balms, honey products and wildflower seed bio-bombs. These were sold through two stalls, raising over £200 while educating hundreds of pupils, staff and visitors about the importance of pollinators.
The funds raised contributed towards the installation of two beehives containing approximately 5,000 bees on the school grounds. The project also distributed wildflower seed bio-bombs throughout the local community, helping to create additional habitats and food sources for pollinators.
Designed as a long-term initiative, the hives will remain on site for future pupils to manage through a dedicated Bee Keeping Group. Honey sales will fund further biodiversity projects, creating a self-sustaining model that supports pollinators, improves local habitats and develops future environmental leaders.
In Balance With Nature 2.0 – Biodiversity 2026 World Rowing Championships, Amsterdam
“In Balance With Nature” is a pioneering biodiversity project developed by bloomUp in partnership with World Rowing, launched at the 2025 World Rowing Under 19 Championships in Trakai, Lithuania — the first deployment of the bloomUp Biodiversity Compass in international sport. Operating under the World Rowing WWF Healthy Waters Alliance, the project assessed the ecological health of the Trakai venue across five dimensions: wildlife and habitat, ecosystem vitality, procurement impact, stakeholder awareness, and on-site activation. It combined workshops, athlete engagement, and a Biodiversity Impact Report, establishing the first biodiversity baseline for a World Rowing event. Developed with scientific support from Kaunas University of Technology and aligned with World Rowing’s Sports for Nature commitment, the project demonstrates how major sporting events can actively contribute to ecosystem protection rather than only reduce their impact. Shortlisted for the Sport Positive Awards 2025, it provides a replicable blueprint for integrating biodiversity into sport operations. A second deployment is planned for the 2026 World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam, enabling further testing and scaling of the methodology at a major international event. The project positions rowing as a driver of nature-positive action and supports the long-term integration of biodiversity stewardship into World Rowing’s global sustainability strategy.
Clean Miles is POW UK’s campaign to make low carbon travel the easiest way to access the outdoors.
Getting to the mountains, crags and trails shouldn’t cost the earth. But expensive tickets, unreliable connections and restrictive gear policies force too many of us into cars and planes. Transport causes a third of UK greenhouse gas emissions, and is the largest cause within outdoor sports.
Crucially, it is holding back the climate advocacy we need. When people feel hypocritical, they’re less likely to champion the systemic changes required to tackle climate change.
Clean Miles brings together research, storytelling and practical advocacy. More than 900 members of the community contributed to a public petition. We created a report containing 29 recommendations and a movement for change.
Since launch, the campaign has the backing of 49 organisations, including charities, governing bodies and businesses, and is informing conversations with MPs, government and transport providers. We’re working with partners to remove practical barriers to rail travel while ensuring the outdoor community has a strong voice in shaping the future of sustainable transport.
Clean Miles is helping build a future where protecting the places we love starts with the journey we take to get there.
Sports Environment Alliance (SEA) is Australia’s national not-for-profit industry body for sport and the environment, an ACNC-registered charity uniting clubs, codes, venues and local governments to protect the places where we play.
In October 2025, SEA brought Green Sports Day to Australia for the first time, adapting the global initiative established in the US in 2016 into a national campaign under one simple message: no planet, no play.
Built on three pillars of Impact Community, Demonstrate Leadership, Inspire Action our five-week campaign asked every corner of Australian sport, from major stadiums to volunteer-run community clubs, to make a practical environmental pledge.
From developing free toolkits, a national pledge platform, trade media and channel-matched social content converted awareness into action, with Instagram interactions up 620% and strong industry engagement across LinkedIn.
Delivered by a small charity team on a modest budget, the campaign connected Australian sport to a movement active in 14 countries and established an annual platform that will grow toward Brisbane 2032. Year one proved the concept: Australian sport is ready to act for the planet it plays on.
One Tree, One Movement is the world’s first coordinated global nature and climate campaign created specifically for the martial arts community. Launched in 2026 by the Martial Arts Coalition for Sustainable Development, the campaign united clubs, NGOs, associations and federations across five regions under one shared movement for environmental action.
Recognising that martial arts have long been connected to nature through their history, philosophies and traditions, the campaign sought to reconnect the sector with those roots by transforming environmental values into practical action. Rather than prescribing a single activity, One Tree, One Movement provided an open campaign framework that enabled organisations to deliver locally relevant initiatives, including environmental education, clean-ups, habitat restoration, tree planting and sustainability projects.
Delivered entirely through voluntary collaboration without grants or sponsorship, the campaign equipped organisations with guidance, communication materials and branded resources, making participation accessible regardless of size or experience. In its inaugural year, it engaged 23 organisations, empowered seven Youth Ambassadors, involved an estimated 510 participants and generated 84 campaign-related social media posts.
As an annual initiative, One Tree, One Movement has established the foundation for a lasting global movement, inspiring martial arts organisations worldwide to become active contributors to nature and climate action.
Sport Forever is a national advocacy and engagement campaign led by Cricket for Climate to future-proof community sport. By reframing climate resilience as an opportunity to strengthen local sporting clubs, the campaign united athletes, community leaders, sporting organisations, government and the public behind a practical vision for the future of grassroots sport.
Grounded in proven community club projects and real-world success stories, Sport Forever combined policy advocacy, public engagement, national media and cross-code collaboration to champion dedicated investment in energy efficiency and climate resilience. The campaign helped catalyse the Australian Government’s $50 million Game On program, which will support up to 500 community sporting clubs to reduce energy costs, strengthen facilities and reinvest savings into their communities.
Today, Sport Forever has evolved from a campaign into the national support program helping clubs maximise the impact of Game On funding through project delivery, outcome measurement and storytelling. By progressing from identifying a problem, to influencing policy, to helping implement the solution and realise the impact, Sport Forever demonstrates the unique power of sport to drive practical climate action and create lasting benefits for communities.
Second Wind gives unused sports apparel and equipment a new life — turning what would be waste into a force for good.
Launched during Korea’s National Sports Week 2026 by the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation (KSPO), the campaign invited both sports organisations and the public to donate their unused sports gear. Every donation began a circular journey: usable items were resold by social enterprise partner Beautiful Store to fund community welfare, discarded event banners were upcycled into tote bags for participants, and surplus federation stock was diverted from disposal into new materials.
In just two weeks, Second Wind collected 210 items, engaged nearly 400 people, and saved 38 kgCO2eq — the equivalent of planting five pine trees. More importantly, it showed that sport and sustainability belong together, and that giving gear a second life can be simple, rewarding, and even fun.
Second Wind’s greatest value lies ahead. Built as a low-cost, replicable model, KSPO plans to run it as a recurring seasonal campaign — with the goal of making circular thinking a lasting culture across Korea’s sports community, and inspiring sports organisations everywhere to do the same.
Save Our Grassroots is a national campaign led by Final Third and Rewriting Earth, helping grassroots sports clubs across the UK tackle flooding, drought and extreme weather through nature-based solutions and community engagement with nature.
Over 100,000 grassroots football matches are cancelled each season due to unplayable pitches, a figure that excludes other sports, training and informal play. Save Our Grassroots was created to close the funding gap this leaves, combining a £100,000 match fund and 100,000 free trees with hands-on delivery support from Final Third and the Wildlife Trusts.
The campaign is already delivering real work on the ground, tackling flooding and drought, helping displaced clubs relocate, restoring flood-damaged sites and supporting county-scale tree planting across multiple sports and regions, whilst engaging communities on nature.
With 30 live grantee projects and over 130 applicants, and demand already outstripping funding capacity, the need is proven and the opportunity is significant. Save Our Grassroots shows that grassroots, volunteer-led sport can adapt to climate change and lead genuine climate action and nature engagement at scale, building a growing evidence base and cross-sector model for a climate-resilient future for grassroots sport.
The Desert Vipers’ “Without Nature, There Is No Sport” campaign used professional cricket to demonstrate the vital connection between biodiversity and sport. Built around the Season 4 Sustainability Match and 2025 UAE-India BioBlitz, the season-long campaign combined fan engagement, education, and connection to nature to inspire action for nature, generating a social impact value of $935,000.
The Season 4 Sustainability Match featured a kit inspired by the Global Biodiversity Stripes, stadium-wide messaging, broadcast features, inclusive community activities, and environmental innovations that reduced the impact of match operations. It reached 13.9 million television viewers, 4.1 million streaming viewers, generated 5.9 million social media reach, 324,000 engagements and more than 4 million video views.
To serve the community in which we play, the 2025 UAE-India BioBlitz, powered by Styrex by Fuelre4m brought together 103 participants over 12 days to record 1,961 biodiversity observations across 641 species. This connected communities, people, and Desert Vipers players through citizen science, and facilitated direct nature connection impact.
By showing that protecting biodiversity is fundamental to the future of sport, the campaign created a lasting legacy that extends well beyond one match.
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Community Initiative
Global Bridge Plus General Incorporated Foundation
Global Bridge Plus General Incorporated Foundation
Global Bridge Plus (GB+) was a global finalist in the Community Initiative category of the Sport Positive Awards 2025, recognised for “Road to Japan” — its founding youth football exchange bringing Myanmar children to Japan. One year on, GB+ returns having delivered on the ASEAN expansion it promised in that submission: launching, in January 2026, the first-ever U-13 ASIA Challenge Festival in Thailand.
Since 2023, “Road to Japan” has brought a Myanmar youth football team to Japan to compete internationally, visit cultural sites, and live with host families — leaving not as opponents but as friends. In January 2026, roughly 60 players from Japan, Thailand and international schools spent three days living, training and competing together in deliberately mixed international teams under the same philosophy.
For GB+, football is never the destination — it is how children first encounter the world, and through that encounter, begin to imagine their place within it. A new U-14 pathway programme, connecting individual ASEAN talent with Japanese professional academies, is now in preparation.
Kicking for Nature is an award-winning community initiative by the Jadir Taekwondo Association (AJTKD) that transforms taekwondo into a pathway for environmental action. Working with children and young people from underserved communities in Rio de Janeiro, the programme integrates sustainability into every stage of martial arts training through an innovative belt progression methodology.
Students do not earn new belts through technical performance alone. They must also complete sustainability challenges, including tree planting, community clean-ups, biodiversity workshops and other environmental activities. By linking athletic achievement with community contribution, Kicking for Nature makes environmental responsibility a lasting part of every student’s journey.
Since its creation, the programme has supported more than 8,000 children and young people, delivered over 257 environmental workshops and seminars, and engaged more than 25,000 participants through environmental education and community activities. AJTKD also plants at least 100 native trees each year alongside its students as part of its long-term commitment to ecological restoration.
Recognised with the BBC Green Sport Award, Kicking for Nature demonstrates how grassroots sport can strengthen communities, inspire lifelong environmental stewardship and provide a practical, replicable model for climate action through martial arts.
Old Northamptonians had reached breaking point from constant flooding, leaving pitches unplayable for months, cancelling rugby, cricket and football fixtures week after week and cutting off the training, socialising and sense of belonging players relied on.
Supported by Save Our Grassroots, delivered by Final Third and Rewriting Earth, the community rallied. Members crowdfunded £10,000, match funded to £20,000, helping to fun pitch restoration. But the real transformation went further, working with Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust, over 30 players built bird, bee and butterfly hotels and planted wildflowers. Rugby, cricket and football sections of the club, sometimes divided over space and access, began collaborating more closely. A new fortnightly coffee and cake evening opened the club to residents who had never set foot there before.
Now, the club is designing a memorial community garden honouring its wartime founders, due for delivery in spring 2027, giving members a lasting reason to grow food, build habitat and gather together, connecting the club’s past to its future.
What began as a flooding crisis has become a genuine re-energising of the club, more sections working as one, more of the community involved, and more purpose behind every activity on and off the pitch.
Young people are the key to lasting environmental change. To engage them in conservation, Seacology has created Play for the Mangroves, offering under-resourced coastal youth free sports equipment, branded uniforms, and play opportunities. In return, they agree to take part in environmental education and hands-on efforts like mangrove planting and beach cleanups. The program began in the Dominican Republic and has expanded to the Philippines and Jamaica, with more countries to follow.
Seacology is a registered 501(c)(3) which protects island habitats and assists local communities by offering villages a unique deal: if they agree to create a forest or marine reserve, we’ll provide funds for something the village needs, like a schoolhouse or health clinic. Since 1991, we’ve launched over 400 projects, working with villages on islands in 73 countries, helping to protect approximately 1.6 million acres of some of the world’s most vulnerable ecosystems. At Seacology, we believe that environmental issues are human issues, too. By providing a benefit in exchange for the creation of a nature reserve, we ensure that the reserve works in everyone’s interests.
The Sporting Nature Project, led by Ulster GAA and funded through The National Lottery Community Fund’s Climate Action Fund, is a community-based biodiversity initiative delivered in partnership with RSPB NI and NI Water.
To date, 32 clubs have participated, delivering practical environmental actions including wildflower meadow creation, native tree planting, habitat enhancement and improved land management practices.
The project has engaged volunteers, players, coaches, schools and local communities through workshops, training, biodiversity audits and hands-on conservation activities. This has increased environmental awareness, developed new skills, and created a growing network of local environmental champions within clubs.
Internally, the initiative has strengthened Ulster GAA’s capacity to embed sustainability within community development work. Externally, it has supported wider community engagement and inspired further environmental action through shared learning, case studies and communication across the GAA network.
The Sporting Nature Project stands out for combining grassroots sport with environmental expertise to deliver measurable biodiversity and community impact. It has transformed how clubs view and use their grounds, positioning them as active contributors to nature recovery and climate resilience across Ulster.
Dr Cristiana Pace is the Founder and CEO of Enovation Consulting, a globally recognised consultancy supporting organisations across sport accelerate sustainability, innovation and social impact. A pioneering leader in motorsport, she has championed the integration of environmental responsibility, diversity, equity and inclusion, and purpose-led business strategies, demonstrating that sustainability is a driver of performance and positive change.
Under Cristiana’s leadership, Enovation Consulting has become a double King’s Award for Enterprise winner (International Trade 2025 and Sustainable Development 2026), achieved FIA 3-Star Environmental Accreditation and B Corp certification, reflecting its commitment to responsible and impactful business.
Beyond organisational success, Cristiana has a passion for creating opportunities for future generations. Through partnerships with Motorsport UK, Silverstone, PREMA Racing and SailGP Germany Team, she has supported initiatives that promote STEM education, improve diversity and inspire young people—particularly girls and underrepresented groups—to pursue careers in motorsport and sustainability. In 2025 alone, Enovation Consulting delivered over 60 hours of STEM outreach across the UK and Italy, engaging over 680 students and contributing to more than 20 industry panels, workshops and webinars.
Cristiana’s collaborative leadership continues to shape a more inclusive, innovative and sustainable future for sport, creating lasting impact across organisations, and the wider industry.
Working at the intersection of sport, education and social impact, she is helping redefine the role of professional sport within society. Through her work at LDLC ASVEL, she has contributed to embedding sustainability, inclusion and community engagement as strategic priorities, supporting a shift toward a more purpose-driven organisational model.
Her initiatives focus on using sport as a tool for social cohesion, access and awareness, particularly in relation to youth and inclusion. Over the past two seasons, her work has been recognised through awards reflecting its tangible impact and growing influence.
With eight years of experience at Tony Parker Adéquat Academy, she has led citizenship programmes empowering student-athletes to become aware of their social responsibility and role as agents of change.
In 2026, she will join an international Women in Sport Mentorship Program as a mentor, reinforcing her commitment to supporting women in sport leadership. Her work continues to create a ripple effect across communities and stakeholders, promoting inclusion, sustainability and social innovation through sport.
Richard Holmes has spent nearly 20 years in sport, with the last 6-7 years establishing himself as one of the UK’s leading voices at the intersection of sport and sustainability. His philosophy is simple but powerful, lead with sport, meet people where they are, and bring sustainability in through co-benefits like health, wellbeing, nutrition and community.
Richard runs Final Third, has co-leads Green Football, created and delivered the double award-winning Cobblers Tackle Food Waste campaign, led sports engagement for Climate Coalition’s Great Big Green Week, co-delivered Save Our Grassroots with Rewriting Earth and runs behaviour change programmes including High Steaks with Hubbub, whilst delivering workshops, consultancy projects and creating toolkits for partners across the sector.
He is a natural collaborator, building partnerships across sectors and consistently using his position to build capability in others, through workshops, toolkits and consultancy relationships designed to spark wider transformation long after a project ends.
Richard’s approach is underpinned by academic rigour, his MBA with Distinction included an award-winning capstone project exploring how football clubs can deliver sustainable fan engagement. He also serves as a Trustee at Birmingham & Black Country Wildlife Trust, giving his time and expertise to a charity focused on nature’s restoration.
Tervel Zwjatkow is an international karate leader transforming how the sport understands sustainability. A former Bulgarian National Karate Champion and international athlete, he became a leading event professional within the German, European and World Karate Federation structures. In 2024, he initiated and became head of the German Karate Federation’s Environment and Sustainability department, identified as the first dedicated sustainability department in a karate federation worldwide.
As Project Lead and Head of the Local Organising Committee for the 61st European Senior Karate Championships 2026 in Frankfurt, Tervel introduced karate’s first comprehensive eco-sustainable event strategy. Its centrepiece was an innovative Green Mobility model that moved the Championships away from traditional shuttle-bus logistics and into a city-integrated public transport system. Around 95% of accredited participants used only public transport, three nations travelled by train for the first time, and thousands of spectators, volunteers and athletes used integrated rail and public transport ticketing.
Karate reaches a global community of more than 100 million practitioners and fans worldwide. Tervel is using that scale to connect karate’s values of respect and responsibility with environmental action, creating a model for sustainable, inclusive and future-focused sport.
Sustainability in Sports: Theory and Practice is shaping the next generation of leaders in sustainability, resilience, and social impact across the sports and entertainment industry. Developed at Columbia University, the course brings together faculty and students from diverse disciplines to explore the relationship between sports, climate change, business, communities, and major events.
The curriculum covers topics including sustainable infrastructure, venue operations, fan engagement, athlete activism, community impact, sustainability frameworks, environmental justice, strategic partnerships and the role of sports organizations in addressing global challenges. By combining academic rigor with practical application, students learn how to develop solutions that create environmental, social, and economic value.
Over the past year, the course expanded its impact through collaborations focused on fan transportation emissions, climate preparedness for FIFA World Cup host cities, sustainability at major sporting events, and community-centered approaches to waste diversion. Research and findings from these initiatives were shared during Climate Week NYC and at the Green Sports Alliance Summit.
Based in New York City, the course serves as a bridge between higher education and industry. Through a growing network of partners, it is creating opportunities, strengthening the sustainability workforce, and advancing sustainability across sports and entertainment.
The Sustainability in Football Compact Course (SFC) is a pioneering education programme designed to equip sustainability professionals in football with the knowledge, tools and confidence to drive meaningful change within their organisations. Presented by European Football Clubs (EFC) and UEFA, with academic support from SDA Bocconi School of Management, the first edition took place from 3 to 6 June 2025 in Milan and the second from 9 to 12 June 2026.
The four-day course combines expert-led presentations, interactive workshops and peer-to-peer learning, covering sustainability fundamentals, social responsibility, environmental impact, policy, monitoring and reporting, stakeholder engagement and strategic leadership. Participants also develop a tailored sustainability action plan, ensuring that learning translates into practical implementation.
The SFC responds to a growing need within football: to build the capacity of professionals who can embed sustainability into strategy, governance and day-to-day operations. With participants from clubs, national associations, leagues and other football bodies, the programme creates a cross-sector learning community and helps strengthen sustainability leadership across the game.
By combining academic credibility, football-specific expertise and practical action planning, the SFC provides an innovative model for education in sport and supports the transition towards a more sustainable, responsible and future-focused football ecosystem.
Every golfer knows even the best player needs a good caddie, someone who reads the course and helps you make the right call. That’s the idea behind Golf Ireland’s Sustainability Leaders Programme: expert-led advice that puts a “sustainability caddie” in every club’s bag. Clubs get free hands-on support from ecologists and sustainability specialists on their own course- from biodiversity and decarbonisation to water, waste and funding, through audits, workshops and peer-learning forums. Rather than a one-off course, it builds lasting capability by developing sustainability leaders inside each club and connecting them nationally.
It reaches everyone in a club, greenkeepers and managers, committees and members, and has grown from an 18-club pilot to 125+ clubs. Like any caddie, we don’t play the shot, we help clubs play it well. Golf clubs are custodians of the land and the beating heart of their communities, and it works because it taps what they already care about: pride in their place, the quality of play, their people and the community they sit in. It proves the power of the collective; clubs across Ireland tackling shared challenges together, stronger for being part of something national. A model any sport could follow.
What if learning about sustainability felt like a game, not a lecture? That’s the idea behind Winter Trail to Nature: a card game bringing snow sports and sustainability together, one playful question at a time. Athletes, coaches, officials and fans face questions about nature and the mountains they compete on — get it wrong, and you might find yourself doing a push-up or shouting out the name of the most sustainable object within reach. Every question ends with the answer read aloud and explained, so nobody just walks away with a laugh — they walk away having learned something real.
The deck’s artwork was hand-illustrated on tablet by Elena Curtoni, an Italian Olympic and World Cup alpine skier — sustainability education made by an athlete, for athletes and winter sports stakeholders.
Since its first test at the FIS Autumn Technical Meetings in Zurich, the game has travelled from a media day in Milan to World Cup finish lines in Courchevel, Engelberg, Ruka and more — sparking conversations among the people whose choices shape the sport’s future. Its next chapter is already being written by others: several National Ski Associations have asked to translate it and make it their own.
Nature Based Blades is proving that young people are not just the future of environmental action—they are its present.
This transformative 12-week programme empowers pupils to turn environmental concern into meaningful action. Through expert-led learning, outdoor experiences and hands-on projects, participants explore climate change, biodiversity, sustainable food systems and green careers before designing and delivering their own nature-based solutions.
Since 2024 more than 200 pupils have recieved a Level 2 Environmental Leadership Qualification. Participants have created wildlife habitats, supported pollinators, grown food, tackled waste and inspired wider school communities to act more sustainably.
The programme’s greatest impact, however, is on the young people themselves. Many begin with little confidence in their ability to influence change. By the end, they are leading projects, presenting ideas, engaging with professionals and creating lasting improvements in their communities. Ninety per cent say they are now more likely to help others, over 80% report increased confidence, stronger teamwork skills and improved decision-making.
Nature Based Blades doesn’t just teach sustainability—it gives young people the confidence to believe their actions matter. The environmental projects they leave behind create lasting legacies, but the real success is a generation of empowered young leaders ready to shape a greener future.
The World Taekwondo Online Sustainability Programme is an open, free, and self-paced digital learning platform launched in 2026 during Mental Health Awareness Week and unveiled at the Olympism and Peace Forum in Tashkent. It is built for the whole Taekwondo family through six short modular courses covering sustainability foundations, Taekwondo’s environmental and social impacts, low-carbon competition delivery, and role-specific pathways for WT staff, Member National Associations, Continental Unions, and competition organisers.
Its pathway architecture is what sets it apart: rather than generic ESG e-learning, each learner is routed to content calibrated to decisions within their own control, directly meeting the award’s empowerment criterion. Since launch, the programme has reached 264 individual learners worldwide, generating 587 completed course enrolments. Content is grounded in the UN SDGs, the UNFCCC Sports for Climate Action Framework, the IUCN Sports for Nature Framework, and Olympic Agenda 2020+5.
Yachting New Zealand’s RŪNĀ programme is a pioneering education and training initiative that reimagines sport as a platform for meaningful learning and environmental action. Designed for students aged 8–15, RŪNĀ combines classroom teaching with hands-on sailing experiences and real-world environmental investigations, creating a powerful and engaging pathway from awareness to action.
Developed in partnership with leading research organisations, the programme delivers credible, locally relevant science through an experiential model that connects young people directly to the marine environment. For many participants, sailing is a first-time experience – building confidence, practical water skills, and a lasting personal connection to the ocean.
RŪNĀ has achieved significant national impact, reaching over 25,534 students, 830 teachers across 21 sailing clubs, now in two countries. Flexible, curriculum-aligned resources ensure accessibility, while digital platforms extend learning into homes and communities.
The programme empowers students to take action through citizen science, restoration initiatives, and national challenges, fostering leadership and responsibility. Communities are discovering a deeper sense of interconnectedness and collective responsibility for the environment.
RŪNĀ’s innovative and values driven approach is creating lasting impact that reaches well beyond the present, by learning from the past, students can help to shape our future.
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Inspired Innovation
German Sport University Cologne: Sustainable [Major] Sporting Events
German Sport University Cologne: Sustainable [Major] Sporting Events
The “Sustainable [Major] Sporting Events” web portal is a freely accessible, scientifically sound and practice-oriented platform for the sustainable planning and delivery of sporting events of all sizes.
Developed by the German Sport University Cologne, the German Olympic Sports Federation and the Oeko-Institut through a two-year participatory research and development process involving over 275 participants from the worlds of sport, academia, politics and practice, the portal bridges the gap between sustainability knowledge and practical implementation. Based on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, it translates complex sustainability requirements into concrete courses of action for sport organisers of all sizes.
At the heart of the web portal are 5 transformation areas, 17 action areas and 6 control areas, which structure sustainability for sporting events and provide practical guidance. Building on this, the portal offers over 600 measures, 268 targets and indicators, quality-assured examples of good practice, interviews with experienced organisers, guidelines and digital tools such as a planning tool, a self-check and an impact calculator. Registered organisers can exchange ideas in the “Network and resources” section.
Since its launch in January 2025, the platform has recorded over 2.3 million page views and supports around 400 registered event organisers.
OSCAR (Operational System for Coral Assembly and Restoration) was born from an unlikely collaboration between the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and McLaren Racing. Announced in 2023, the partnership brought together Formula 1 engineers and marine scientists to apply high-performance engineering to one of the greatest challenges in reef restoration: delivering restoration at the speed and scale needed to help coral reefs recover.
Every year, over just a few nights in spring, corals on the Great Barrier Reef release millions of tiny reproductive bundles into the ocean in a natural event known as spawning. Scientists collect and grow these bundles in controlled conditions, before settling baby corals onto ceramic tools called coral seeding devices. The baby corals are then settled on damaged parts of the reef to help accelerate recovery. In nature, less than 1% of corals make it through their first year of life. Coral seeding devices help increase their chances of survival by up to 60% by protecting young corals from predators and destructive waves.
While coral seeding has demonstrated strong restoration potential, assembling these devices has traditionally been a slow, manual process, taking up to 90 seconds per unit. This labour-intensive step has been a major bottleneck, limiting how many corals can be deployed before the spawning window closes.
Inspired by Formula 1’s focus on precision, efficiency and continuous improvement, OSCAR was developed to transform this process. The semi-automated system uses robotics and advanced engineering to automate the assembly of coral seeding devices, reducing production time from 90 seconds to as little as 10 seconds per unit. Early modelling indicates OSCAR has the potential to increase annual deployment capacity from 100,000 to one million devices, while significantly reducing labour-based production costs.
Food for White Winters is a climate-smart catering model piloted by FIS and the Åre Alpine World Cup LOC with the Stockholm Resilience Centre, PLATE, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Eldrimner and local chefs at the FIS Alpine World Cup in Åre in March 2026. Grounded in the EAT-Lancet Planetary Health Diet and PLATE principles, it redesigns event menus for athletes, coaches, volunteers and guests to be plant-forward, seasonal, local and lower in meat, without compromising the nutritional demands of elite performance. Early results are strong: volunteer catering achieved an estimated 10% cut in climate impact, and athlete portions with roughly 50 grams less meat delivered around a 20% lower climate impact.
Recipes were developed jointly by chefs and nutrition researchers, with Olympic medallists Charlotte Kalla and Andre Myhrer involved. Researchers collected environmental and nutritional data on-site and FIS intends to use these results to shape its dietary guidelines for future events and expand the model across its network. By showing, with real competition data, that food which fuels athletes can also protect the winters they compete in, the project offers sport a practical, replicable innovation for tackling one of its most overlooked sources of emissions.
SEED Toolkit is the world’s first interactive, online ESG/ Sustainability diagnostic designed specifically for sports organisations — and inspired by an unlikely source: Korea’s love of the MBTI personality test.
Most sports organisations know ESG matters but find it intimidating, especially those without a dedicated ESG team. SEED removes that barrier. Instead of reducing ESG to a score, it presents the result as an engaging personality-style type. In just minutes, and in both Korean and English, any organisation can discover its ESG type, understand its strengths and weaknesses, and see exactly where to begin.
Developed by Korea Sports Promotion Foundation (KSPO) with the Five Seconds Group, and shaped by the voices of the Sports ESG Alliance, SEED launched in December 2025 following its debut at the 2025 World Conference on Doping in Sport. Since then, 324 participants from 171 organisations across Korea and worldwide have taken part.
Users describe it as genuinely useful, practical checklist, and most importantly, fun for setting their ESG direction. Beyond diagnosis, SEED connects organisations to Alliance-led support for real improvement.
By making ESG accessible, actionable, and even enjoyable, SEED harnesses the positive power of sport to help build a better world.
RowCycle is a circular economy innovation founded in Alexandria, Egypt, that transforms post-consumer waste into sports products such as medals, trophies, sports equipment components, and public art installations. Founded by national rowing athlete and sustainability pioneer Abdelmouez Shahin, it addresses coastal waste pollution and the environmental impact of sporting events by replacing conventional materials with recycled alternatives.
Since 2025, RowCycle has supported sports organisations by integrating sustainable products directly into events, turning waste materials like aluminium, plastics, and cartons into functional and symbolic sports assets that promote environmental awareness.
The initiative has been applied in community and leadership events in Egypt, including Rotary-linked conferences, and has expanded through collaborations across Cyprus, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom. These partnerships demonstrate its adaptability across international sporting and cultural contexts.
Beyond production, RowCycle runs coastal clean-up campaigns and educational programs engaging athletes, volunteers, and communities in environmental action. It also supports social impact initiatives such as Rotahope, linking recycling efforts to humanitarian support.
RowCycle demonstrates how sport can be a platform for climate action by transforming waste into value, reducing environmental impact, and inspiring long-term sustainability within the global sports sector.
Ben Hardy-Jones is an inspirational young sports executive from the UK, spearheading The Desert Vipers’ sustainability efforts. Having graduated from Oxford University with a Distinction and course prize in Environmental Change and Management, at the Desert Vipers Ben uses cricket as a platform to promote positive societal change. His master’s thesis, researching how SME restaurants can reduce emissions to net zero, has been developed into two published academic papers on SME decarbonisation, governance and influence.
Since taking on the Business Sustainability Lead role at Desert Vipers, Ben has expanded his remit across reporting, commercial partnerships, people management and sector-wide influence. This past season, Desert Vipers became champions of the DP World ILT20 Season 4 — success that has significantly amplified the reach of Ben’s work.
Emmanuel Otieno Kiyaka is a Kenyan climate and health advocate, project management professional, and founder of Green Interventions for Sustainable Towns (GIST Kenya). As one of the emerging leaders driving sport for sustainable development in Africa, he has pioneered innovative initiatives that use sport as a platform to advance climate action, environmental justice, health equity, and youth leadership.
Since 2025, Emmanuel has led transformative programmes including B-Ball for Life, Ball for Life, and Rugby for Social Impact, bringing together sport, climate education, sexual and reproductive health, mental well-being, and environmental stewardship. His initiatives have engaged hundreds of young people, increased access to essential health services, promoted tree planting and environmental action, strengthened partnerships with schools and community organisations, and created safe, inclusive spaces where girls, young women, and young people with disabilities can thrive.
Beyond programme delivery, Emmanuel is helping redefine how sport contributes to sustainable development by demonstrating that playing fields can also become spaces for climate resilience, education, and social inclusion. Through collaboration, innovation, and youth-led action, he continues to inspire communities and emerging leaders across Kenya and beyond.
Mahaut Recht is redefining what early-career leadership looks like in sport and sustainability. In just two years at bloomUp, she has worked across five international federations, seven major sporting events, the Olympism365 movement, and Olympic bidding processes, earning influence not through seniority, but through results and trust.
Her work spans strategy and implementation: from embedding biodiversity frameworks with World Rowing, to delivering a full sustainability strategy across eight mountain venues for the 2025 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships (100% site restoration, 90% renewable energy, 85% local sourcing), to helping the Omega European Masters achieve GEO re-certification and join the Sports for Nature framework.
What distinguishes Mahaut is how she drives change. She enters resistant environments, reframes sustainability as shared opportunity, and consistently leaves organisations with stronger internal ownership than they had before. Her approach is rigorous, practical, and deeply human.
As a lifelong basketball player, she understands sport’s power to move people. As a sustainability professional, she is using that understanding to hold the industry accountable, pushing it from ambition to action, and from compliance to conviction.
As Volunteer and Sustainability Manager at Holmenkollen Skifestival, he leads approximately 1,900 volunteers across International Biathlon Union and International Ski Federation World Cup events while driving both environmental and social sustainability initiatives.
Since joining in 2025, he has increased waste sorting rates by 136%, introduced CO2 mapping and reporting systems, and developed new sustainability and procurement strategies. He has also collaborated with the International Olympic Committee, European Broadcasting Union and Milano Cortina on projects focused on reducing reliance on temporary infrastructure in sport.
Alongside environmental work, Mathias has strengthened volunteer inclusion and engagement, achieving record participation levels and a 95% volunteer return rate. He has introduced digital volunteer tools, led organisational culture change, and developed initiatives to improve collaboration and accessibility across the event.
His leadership combines operational excellence with long-term thinking, demonstrating how young leaders can drive meaningful change within the global sports industry.
Megan Robinson is a Sustainability Manager at Red Bull Racing & Technology, leading practical environmental and cultural initiatives across the organisation. She has strengthened carbon management by improving footprint accuracy, deepened supplier engagement through collaborative green-innovation projects, and delivered the company’s first Sustainability Month, directly involving over 250 colleagues in environmental action.
Her work includes encouraging low-carbon commuting through hands-on cycling workshops, enhancing on-site biodiversity through ecology studies and the installation of beehives, bug hotels, bird boxes, and pollinator-friendly landscaping, and partnering with RBR’s catering team to increase local sourcing and kitchen operations – embedding sustainability into everyday operations. She also led the company to achieve the EcoSmart Gold Award for sustainable events by coordinating sustainable practices and embedding clear environmental standards.
Beyond her role, Megan is a visible advocate for inclusion in motorsport. As Co-Chair of the Gender Inclusioneers, she helps shape initiatives that support women across the organisation and influence wider industry culture. She represents RBR at Girls on Track programmes, speaks at global events including International Women’s Day, and supports community initiatives such as MK Pride, championing representation and belonging.
Megan embodies a new generation of leaders driving a more sustainable, inclusive, and forward-thinking future for sport.
Phallon Tullis-Joyce is a professional goalkeeper for Manchester United and the USWNT who combines elite sport with environmental leadership. With a background in marine biology, she brings scientific credibility to her advocacy for biodiversity conservation, ocean health and climate action.
Within her role, she supports Manchester United’s community and sustainability initiatives, using football as a platform to engage young people in environmental education. She works with schools and local programmes to make complex ecological issues accessible, helping inspire curiosity and awareness around nature and sustainability.
Beyond her club, she is an ambassador for 11th Hour Racing and Ocean Rising, contributing to global conversations on marine conservation and environmental protection.
Phallon has helped normalise the idea that professional athletes can be active environmental advocates, creating a ripple effect across sport by encouraging other players and organisations to engage with climate and biodiversity issues. Her approach is inclusive, using clear, relatable communication to ensure young people from all backgrounds can engage with environmental topics.
Her impact spans local school communities, national football audiences, and global sustainability networks. Through authentic leadership and collaboration, she demonstrates how sport can be a powerful driver for inclusive, transformative environmental action.
Riley Bahr Curtis is the Director of Sustainable Programs at Blue Strike Environmental and an EcoAthlete Champion. A former NCAA Division I cross country and track athlete at Florida State University, Riley became the university’s first ACC Sports Sustainability representative before earning a Master’s degree in Social and Sustainable Enterprises.
Today, Riley leads sustainability planning, implementation, and reporting for major sporting events, including the FIFA Houston Fan Festival, PGA TOUR tournaments, and large festivals. She develops procurement strategies, waste diversion programs, greenhouse gas reporting, food recovery initiatives, and community partnerships that keep materials in local circular economies.
Riley helped lead the Zurich Classic sustainability program to earn the 2024 PGA TOUR Sustainability Award and 2025 GEO Certified® Tournament recognition while guiding multiple clients through GEO certification. She also aided the creation of the Sustainability Grove Expo at the Principal Charity Classic and has presented nationally through the Green Sports Alliance on achieving zero waste events and collegiate sustainability.
Outside of consulting, Riley mentors EcoAthlete Champions and uses speaking engagements and social media to explain recycling, composting, and circular economy systems in practical, relatable ways. Her mission is simple: help sport become a platform that educates and inspires lasting change.
Since joining London Marathon Group in 2025, Sally has emerged as a dynamic young leader helping to drive sustainability across sport. Combining academic expertise in the environmental and social impacts of sports apparel with boundless enthusiasm and a collaborative approach, she has already delivered significant impact within LMG and across our industry.
Sally pioneered the first-ever plogging event at the 2025 TCS London Marathon, bringing together volunteers and partners to remove litter from central London and creating a model that will be expanded across future events. She has also championed innovative approaches to textile waste, developing partnerships with organisations including Fashion Enter and The Alterist to transform surplus event materials into products such as running hijabs and trainer bags, demonstrating how sustainability can also advance inclusion and accessibility.
Internally, Sally leads a thriving Green Team of over 35 sustainability ambassadors, delivers sustainability inductions for new staff and has embedded environmental considerations into grant-making and procurement processes. Externally, she contributes to industry-wide initiatives including the Sustainable Apparel Charter and actively supports organisations working across sport and sustainability.
Through her energy, creativity and determination to bring people with her, Sally is helping shape a more sustainable, equitable and innovative future for sport.
Food for White Winters is a partnership between FIS, the Stockholm Resilience Centre, World Cup Åre and the Nordic Sustainability Arena, PLATE, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Eldrimner, testing whether elite winter sport catering can fuel athletic performance while cutting food-related emissions. Piloted at the FIS Alpine World Cup in Åre in March 2026, the initiative brought scientists, chefs, nutritionists and Olympic medalists together to design menus grounded in the EAT-Lancet Planetary Health Diet and PLATE principles.
Early results are striking: volunteer catering achieved an estimated 10% cut in climate impact, and athlete meals containing roughly 50 grams less meat delivered around a 20% lower climate impact, without compromising performance nutrition.
Researchers are collecting environmental and nutritional data on-site, with full findings to be published on plateresearch.org.
The results will directly shape future FIS sustainability guidelines, with ambitions to expand the approach across the FIS network and beyond. By proving, with real data from a real World Cup, that performance and sustainability are not in tension, this partnership offers winter sport, and sport more broadly, a credible, science-based model for tackling one of its largest and least-discussed sources of emissions: food.
In December 2025, Emirates GBR SailGP Team (EGBR) came to kitround with a problem: a full changeover of crew kit, and less than eight weeks to redistribute it responsibly before their new sponsor’s kit arrived. Both organisations moved fast — it took less than a week from first conversation to the first item live for sale on kitround.
200 items of genuine team wear went on sale at attractive prices, giving fans a rare chance to own kit that would never normally be available. Every sale raised money for the 1851 Trust, EGBR’s official charity, and every item was measured through kitround360, giving EGBR verified data to feed straight into their submission for SailGP’s Impact League, which EGBR won in 2025 as part of a season treble.
60% of stock sold within 48 hours. A signed, race-worn helmet, kitround’s first-ever auction item, sold for £300 to a delighted fan.
This was only the start. This month at Portsmouth, kitround is running kitdrops for the other SailGP teams and for fans, plus further EGBR team items — all proof that a fast, trusted partnership can scale.
LFC and Husqvarna have created a pioneering purpose-led partnership that demonstrates how technology can accelerate environmental progress in sport. Built on a relationship that began in 2021 and formalised through a multi-year partnership in 2024, the collaboration combines LFC’s sustainability strategy, TRW, with Husqvarna’s market-leading robotic mowing and battery-powered technology.
Together, the partners have transformed grounds management across LFC’s estate. During the 2024/25 season, 100% of non-playing grass surfaces became robot-maintained, enabling grounds teams to dedicate more time to biodiversity enhancement and ecological restoration. The partnership has contributed to the creation of over 1,000m² of native meadow habitat, the establishment of more than 10,000 plants, expansion of bee populations to approximately 240,000 bees and the monitoring of 65 biodiversity species across club sites.
More than an operational improvement, the partnership demonstrates how environmental innovation can support both elite sporting performance and nature recovery. By reducing reliance on traditional maintenance practices and supporting cleaner operations, they have created a scalable model for sustainable venue management.
The partnership’s impact is transparently reported through TRW and shared across the global sports industry, ensuring lessons learned can inspire wider change and together proving that world-class sport can be a powerful force for environmental action.
The AFL partnered with SisterWorks to transform end-of-life football textiles into new opportunities for both people and the planet.
The partnership addresses the textile waste challenge by repurposing unwanted AFL uniforms, apparel, event banners and promotional fabrics into high-quality, functional products through local social enterprise manufacturing. In doing so, it simultaneously diverts valuable textiles from landfill while creating meaningful employment opportunities for women from refugee, migrant and asylum seeker backgrounds.
Rather than being a one-off upcycling project, the initiative aims to be a scalable circular textile model for the sporting industry. The AFL is investing in product development, prototyping and storytelling to enable AFL clubs to adopt the model, helping embed circularity across football while lowering barriers to participation.
Every product tells a story: connecting fans with the game while demonstrating that sustainability can deliver environmental, social and economic value at the same time.
By combining the AFL’s scale and influence with SisterWorks’ expertise in ethical manufacturing and women’s economic empowerment, the partnership demonstrates how sport can use its purchasing power, materials, and platform to address textile waste, strengthen communities, and inspire broader adoption of circular economy principles across the sporting sector.
Together, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Racing to Zero (RTZ), a not-for-profit sport-focused sustainability consultancy led by a group of Canadian Olympians and Paralympians, developed the NSO Sustainability Program. Supported by the IOC’s Olympic Solidarity, the program’s main objective was to advance Canadian National Sport Organizations (NSOs) in their sustainability journey, creating a foundation for climate action by equipping organizations with essential tools, policies, structures, emissions baselines, and actionable goals to reduce their carbon footprint.
Over the course of 10 months, three NSOs worked directly with Racing to Zero on a three-phase project, focused around:
* Reviewing internal Operations and developing a bespoke Sustainability Strategy
* Creating an emissions baseline and establishing systems for ongoing measurement
* Delivering an internal educational workshop on strategies to reduce impact
The partnership combines EcoAthletes’ Collegiate Cup and Ocean Conservancy’s Protect Where We Play (PWWP) initiative, an annual six-week competition runs from mid-March to Earth Day among US/Canadian universities with at least one active EcoAthletes student-athlete Champion. They recruit teammates, friends, family members and more to join their school in the Collegiate Cup game on the Climategames app, logging workouts that convert into an environmental currency funded by OC for beach and ocean cleanup. The school that exercises and thus protects the ocean the most, wins the Cup.
This year, Ocean Conservancy leveraged its network to launch the EcoAthletes “Champion of the Month supported by Hydro Flask” video series. This significantly expanded the storytelling and reach as the videos run from March through October.
This year, the Cup reached more than 1.2 million people on social media. It expanded its list of participating schools by 69% from 2025 to 2026, and almost doubled its number of participants (“Cuppers”) who exercised for 16,633 hours—more than two times the work rate of the entire competition in 2025.
But the most impactful metric is that the exercise generated ONE TON of trash removal from beaches from around the world!
OSCAR (Operational System for Coral Assembly and Restoration) is a world-first coral restoration robot developed through a collaboration between the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and McLaren Racing. Inspired by the precision of Formula 1 engineering, it tackles one of the biggest challenges in coral restoration: speed.
OSCAR is a semi-automated system that assembles ceramic coral seeding devices that carry and protect baby corals in their first year of life. These devices are placed onto damaged reefs, where the corals help rebuild healthy reef habitat.
By reducing assembly time from 90 seconds to as little as 10 seconds per device, OSCAR has the potential to increase annual production from around 100,000 devices to one million devices. This means millions more baby corals could be delivered to damaged reefs every year.
Developed by McLaren Racing and Great Barrier Reef Foundation, with background technology from the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Queensland University of Technology for use on the Great Barrier Reef, OSCAR shows how innovation and expertise from elite motorsport can be adapted to help solve urgent environmental challenges. By making coral restoration faster, more efficient and more affordable, it has the potential to transform global reef restoration efforts.
Run Rome the Marathon, managed by Infront, has established a pioneering partnership with Banco Alimentare Roma to transform unavoidable marathon waste into meaningful environmental and social impact. Large-scale running events inherently generate surplus food, beverages and discarded clothing, but since 2021 this collaboration has turned these challenges into a circular solution.
In 2025 alone, the initiative recovered and redistributed 9,200 litres of drinks and 1,800 kg of food to communities in need, alongside reusing or upcycling 984 kg of clothing into wearable items or blankets for the homeless. At the same time, the marathon has significantly reduced its environmental footprint, cutting waste (of any category) from 1.82 kg to 0.64 kg per participant and lowering carbon emissions from 479 kg CO2e to 340 kg per participant between 2023 and 2025.
These results are underpinned by robust measurement frameworks aligned with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and International Olympic Committee methodologies, ensuring continuous improvement and transparency.
By turning waste into resources, the partnership creates a powerful link between environmental responsibility and social good, delivering measurable, scalable impact and positioning Run Rome the Marathon as a benchmark for sustainable mass participation events.
Newcastle United teamed up with stakeholders in the North East to transform their iconic black and white stripes into meaningful Christmas gifts for children in hospital last Christmas.
Over 200-unique teddy bears were crafted from used and leftover Newcastle United playing kits. Each bear top was hand-stitched by the Newcastle Hospitals’ linen room staff, ensuring every single one carried a piece of club history.
The Hospital team was assisted by Newcastle United Academy’s under-10 squad, who helped form many of the cuddly companions as part of their ongoing community engagement.
Northumbria University’s Fashion department added the finishing touch by stitching “winners 2025” into the paw of each bear, in recognition of the club’s first domestic cup win in 7 decades.
The bears were then personally hand-delivered by first-team players on visits to the Freeman Hospital and Royal Victoria Infirmary, creating moments of joy and comfort during the festive period.
A heartwarming social media film captured the journey from shirt to teddy. This launched Newcastle United and Newcastle United Foundation’s annual ‘A Helping Hand at Christmas’ campaign which supported more than 1000 local families throughout December 2025.
Richmond Football Club and SisterWorks have partnered to turn waste into opportunity, creating a powerful model that delivers environmental sustainability and social impact through sport.
The partnership was established to address two challenges: reducing textile and merchandise waste generated through football operations, and creating meaningful employment pathways for women from refugee, migrant and asylum-seeker backgrounds. Through SisterWorks’ Sustainable Manufacturing Hub, obsolete Richmond apparel, banners, scarves and merchandise are transformed into new products including bags, lanyards, pet accessories, headbands and supporter merchandise.
To date, the partnership has diverted more than 100 kilograms of material from landfill, repurposed approximately 90% of collected materials, reduced carbon emissions, and generated 250 hours of paid employment opportunities for women facing barriers to workforce participation. The initiative has created more than $50,000 in social value while supporting Richmond’s commitment to a circular economy and long-term sustainability goals.
Beyond measurable outcomes, the collaboration demonstrates how sport can be a catalyst for positive change. By combining environmental action with economic empowerment, Richmond Football Club and SisterWorks have created a scalable, purpose-led partnership that strengthens communities, reduces waste, and inspires other sporting organisations to embed sustainability and inclusion into their operations.
Save Our Grassroots: Final Third x Rewriting Earth
Save Our Grassroots: Final Third x Rewriting Earth
Save Our Grassroots is a UK-wide partnership between Final Third and Rewriting Earth, working alongside The Woodland Trust and The Wildlife Trusts, tackling the growing threat that climate change poses to grassroots sport. Over 100,000 grassroots football games are cancelled each season due to unplayable pitches, a figure that excludes other sports, training sessions and informal play.
The programme offers a £100,000 match fund, plus 100,000 free trees, helping clubs implement nature-based solutions tailored to their specific site by local place-based experts, while also funding community engagement with nature and biodiversity.
Since launching, the partnership has received more than 130 applications from clubs spanning football, cricket, rugby union, BMX, polo, athletics, rugby league, golf and bowls, with 30 grantees live and a third funding round open. Tangible outcomes include transformed pitches and nature engagement at Old Northamptonians, ongoing flood recovery support for Didsbury Toc H Rugby Club and projects launching imminently in Coventry, Cornwall, Devon, Wrexham and more.
Unlike existing facilities funding, Save Our Grassroots is the only programme combining nature-based climate adaptation with genuine community connection to nature, whilst building a lasting evidence base through case studies, participant research, a public toolkit and a social value report.
VfL Wolfsburg x Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union Germany
VfL Wolfsburg x Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union Germany
VfL Wolfsburg and NABU (Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union Germany) have established a purpose-driven partnership that combines the emotional power of football with measurable climate and biodiversity action.
As a sustainability pioneer in international football, VfL Wolfsburg invests in the NABU Climate Fund, supporting the rewetting of degraded peatlands in Germany. A flagship project is the Ahlen-Falkenberg peatland in Lower Saxony—one of the largest peatland restoration initiatives on agricultural land in Germany. Peatlands are among the world’s most important natural carbon sinks and play a vital role in protecting biodiversity.
The partnership extends far beyond financial support. Together, NABU and VfL Wolfsburg engage fans, employees, players, and local communities through educational initiatives, storytelling, stadium activations, guided visits to peatland restoration sites, and corporate volunteering programs.
Built on shared values, scientific expertise, and long-term commitment, the collaboration demonstrates how football clubs and environmental organizations can work together to generate tangible environmental impact and drive meaningful social change.
Together, VfL Wolfsburg and NABU prove that sport can be a powerful force for climate action and biodiversity conservation.
Zurich Classic of New Orleans x Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana
Zurich Classic of New Orleans x Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana
The Zurich Classic of New Orleans and the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana partnered to transform a local waste stream into a solution for one of Louisiana’s most pressing environmental challenges: coastal land loss.
The partnership was established to increase waste diversion at the tournament by using a dedicated oyster shell recovery system. Rather than sending shells to landfill, oyster shells are collected, separated, and delivered to CRCL’s Oyster Shell Recycling Program, where they are used to build oyster reefs and living shorelines that support habitat restoration and coastal protection.
Since launching in 2024, the partnership has recycled 3.8 tons of oyster shells—equivalent to more than 25,000 oysters—while educating spectators about coastal restoration. Through onsite activations, educational signage, and social media storytelling, fans learn how a simple action can contribute to restoring Louisiana’s coastline. The partnership demonstrates how sporting events can identify materials with value beyond disposal and connect them to local environmental needs. As long as oysters are served at the Zurich Classic, the tournament remains committed to partnering with CRCL to recover and recycle shells for future restoration projects.
BACK TO TOP
Research of the Year
Data to Decisions: Evaluating Quality, Correlation, and Reporting of the Sports for Climate Action Framework
Data to Decisions: Evaluating Quality, Correlation, and Reporting of the Sports for Climate Action Framework
Data to Decisions: Evaluating Quality, Correlation, and Reporting of the Sports for Climate Action Framework is the first evaluation of reported activities across multiple years of Sports for Climate Action Framework signatory data. Developed as a Columbia University M.S. in Sustainability Management Integrative Capstone project, the research analyzed four years of reporting to assess data quality, emissions trends, progress toward Race to Zero targets, and the relationship between climate actions and emissions outcomes.
The project was motivated by a critical need in the sports sector: moving from climate commitments to measurable, data-informed progress. The research team cleaned and harmonized questionnaire responses, evaluated reporting consistency, assessed signatories’ emissions-reduction progress, conducted regression analysis, interviewed signatories, developed a benchmarking guide, and created a dashboard to visualize emissions, governance, adaptation, and climate action trends.
The work found that inconsistent baselines, variable Scope 3 coverage, and reporting quality issues limit comparability and progress tracking. It also showed that organizational size is an important driver of reported emissions and that many signatories need more ambitious reduction strategies. Ultimately, the research provides practical tools and recommendations to strengthen reporting, improve accountability, and help sport translate climate ambition into measurable climate performance.
Environmental sustainability in Mediterranean football: executive perspectives and current practices
Environmental sustainability in Mediterranean football: executive perspectives and current practices
This research paper examines environmental sustainability in Mediterranean football, focusing on Greek professional football and the Super League ecosystem. It explores how senior decision-makers from clubs, the league authority and the Hellenic Football Federation understand, prioritize and implement environmental sustainability in a context marked by high climate vulnerability, limited resources and fragmented governance.
The study provides new evidence from a football setting often overlooked in sport sustainability research. It shows that Greek football is at an early stage of environmental sustainability adoption, with many initiatives positioned within CSR rather than embedded into formal strategy. Key barriers include lack of expertise, limited funding, ageing and non-club-owned facilities, bureaucracy, weak regulation, limited stakeholder pressure and insufficient coordination across the football system.
At the same time, the paper identifies important opportunities for progress. Executives recognize football’s power to influence fans and communities, and there is willingness to act where clearer guidance, incentives, collaboration and leadership exist. By applying institutional theory and the “three waves” typology to a new geographical and cultural context, the research offers practical guidance for clubs, leagues, federations, policymakers and sponsors seeking to turn sustainability ambition into coordinated, measurable and impactful action.
Exploring balanced approaches in sport: navigating environmental and commercial logic
Exploring balanced approaches in sport: navigating environmental and commercial logic
In an era of rapid sport commercialisation and mounting climate pressure, McCullough and Bramley’s 2025 open-access commentary delivers a clear, practical path forward. The authors examine the deep tension between environmental goals and commercial realities that often stalls genuine progress in sport. Radical calls to curtail growth or ban certain partners frequently ignore economic and operational constraints, while many organisations rely on symbolic gestures that deliver little real impact.
Drawing on institutional theory and examples such as stadium water-recycling systems and flawed short-haul flight practices, they propose an “ecocentric” balanced approach. This treats both sport and the natural environment as ends worth protecting. Their “measured approach” urges practitioners to apply systems thinking and full life-cycle assessments, weighing environmental costs against sport’s proven social and economic benefits.
The work is highly valuable for industry leaders. It replaces polarisation with an actionable framework that builds credibility, secures internal support, and drives meaningful climate action without threatening sport’s viability or popularity. Championing ecocentric leadership and cross-sector collaboration helps the sector move from greenwashing to transformative, lasting sustainability that protects both the game and the planet.
Postcards From the Future: Polluted Sport in a Changing Climate
Postcards From the Future: Polluted Sport in a Changing Climate
This research paper is the first to ask: How is climate change affecting young athletes? Through a powerful case study from a region of Aotearoa New Zealand that has produced many world and national champion athletes and been repeatedly devastated by extreme weather events, this article centres young athletes’ voices about the impacts of climate change on their sporting experiences. Through focus groups and photographic montages with 45 young athletes (54% Maori and 50% female) from a range of sports it reveals how climate change related weather events are significantly affecting young athletes.
Introducing the concept of “polluted sport”, the paper reveals how new health risks, fear, anger, frustration and eco-grief were surfaced through young athletes’ immersion in sporting environments damaged and destroyed by a changing climate. For some, such embodied experiences prompted new modes of environmental care and action.
Ultimately, this paper highlights the importance of listening to, and learning from, young people immersed in sporting environments already being impacted by climate change. A creative and cross-disciplinary collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers, this powerful place-based study also reveals the importance of Indigenous ways of knowing polluted sporting environments as intimately connected to health, well-being, healing and performance.
Stadiums’ Impact: How Sports and Beer Can Change the World
Stadiums’ Impact: How Sports and Beer Can Change the World
Stadiums’ Impact: How Sports and Beer Can Change the World examines how sports venues can accelerate the transition from single-use beverage cups to reusable cup systems. Developed as a Columbia University M.S. in Sustainability Management Integrative Capstone project in partnership with PR3, the Global Alliance to Advance Reuse, the research explores the environmental, operational, financial, and social dimensions of reuse in stadium settings.
The paper was motivated by the scale of waste generated at sports and entertainment events and the unique opportunity stadiums provide as closed-loop environments, where beverages are purchased, consumed, and collected within a controlled venue. The research reviewed life-cycle assessment literature, analyzed reuse-system best practices, developed a cost-benefit framework, and examined hidden costs associated with single-use plastic, including waste-management burdens, emissions, pollution, and community impacts.
The work contributes a practical roadmap for teams, venues, sponsors, concessionaires, municipalities, and reuse service providers seeking to move from sustainability commitments to implementation. It shows that reusable cup systems are not only an environmental intervention but also a circular economy strategy that can reduce waste, engage fans, support emerging reuse infrastructure, and demonstrate how sport can make sustainability visible, scalable, and culturally powerful.
Sustainable Food Choices in Professional Football: Experimental Evidence from an English Premier League Club
Sustainable Food Choices in Professional Football: Experimental Evidence from an English Premier League Club
Football clubs are increasingly seeking to reduce their environmental impact, yet little is known about how supporter culture influences sustainable food choices.
This research, conducted in partnership with Brentford FC during the 2024/25 season, combined the first large-scale behavioural intervention study in an English Premier League stadium with supporter surveys to investigate how supporter attitudes, social norms and club identity shape food choices.
Combining behavioural science with real-world football operations, the research analysed approximately 25,000 food purchases and collected responses from more than 1,500 supporters to explore whether football can help accelerate climate action by encouraging lower-carbon food choices among supporters.
The study uncovered a significant “silent majority” of supporters who privately support sustainable food choices but underestimate how widely those views are shared by fellow fans. Beyond generating new evidence, the collaboration delivered practical impact.
Brentford FC permanently retained elements of our interventions developed for plant-based menu items and used supporter feedback from the project to replace its most carbon-intensive menu offering with a lower-impact alternative. The project demonstrates how football clubs and academic institutions can work together to generate evidence, inform decision-making and accelerate climate action through sport.
The Blue & Green Game Plan: A Strategic Playbook for Advancing Water Stewardship and Enhancing Biodiversity in Sports
The Blue & Green Game Plan: A Strategic Playbook for Advancing Water Stewardship and Enhancing Biodiversity in Sports
The Blue and Green Game Plan: A Strategic Playbook for Advancing Water Stewardship and Enhancing Biodiversity in Sports explores how the sports sector can protect, restore, and regenerate nature while reducing its impacts on water resources and biodiversity. Developed as a Columbia University M.S. in Sustainability Management Integrative Capstone project in partnership with Sports for Nature, the research is grounded in the idea that “every sport is a water sport.”
The paper examines how different types of sport interact with ecosystems, including sports in water, nature-based sports, non-nature-based sports, and mega-sports and temporary events. Through literature review, case studies, stakeholder analysis, and sport-specific recommendations, the Game Plan provides practical guidance for sports clubs, venue owners and operators, event organizers, and governing bodies.
The work expands the sports sustainability conversation beyond carbon and waste by centering water stewardship, biodiversity protection, habitat restoration, responsible supply chains, and fan and athlete education. It offers scalable recommendations for organizations with different levels of capacity and resources, helping the sector move from general sustainability commitments to tangible nature-positive action. Ultimately, the research shows that sport has the visibility, influence, and operational scale to make protecting nature practical, accessible, and culturally powerful.
The Future of Adaptation Funds in Global Sport: A Framework for Climate Resilient Tournaments
The Future of Adaptation Funds in Global Sport: A Framework for Climate Resilient Tournaments
The Future of Adaptation Funds in Global Sport: A Framework for Climate Resilient Tournaments explores how football and other global sports can finance climate resilience for the communities most affected by climate change. Developed as a Columbia University M.S. in Sustainability Management Integrative Capstone project in partnership with Football for Future, the research responds to a critical gap in sports sustainability: the need to complement emissions reduction with structured adaptation funding.
As extreme heat, flooding, and drought increasingly threaten player safety, fan experience, worker health, match scheduling, facilities, and grassroots participation, the report proposes the Football for Future Climate Adaptation Fund Framework. The Framework is organized around seven pillars — mission, governance, donors, impact, eligibility, reporting, and implementation — and provides a scalable model for sports organizations to design transparent, credible, and community-centered adaptation funds.
The report also applies the Framework to a 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup use case, showing how mega-events can direct resources toward climate-vulnerable host cities and grassroots communities. Ultimately, the research positions sport as a powerful platform for climate resilience, demonstrating how tournaments can leave a legacy beyond competition by funding long-term adaptation, preparedness, and community protection.
Golf doesn’t sit alongside nature, it sits within it.
Across Ireland, clubs are custodians of the land and the beating heart of their communities, stewarding substantial green space, much of it lying outside active play. In March 2024, Golf Ireland launched Drive the Green, a 2024-27 strategy that turned scattered goodwill into systemic national action. Underpinned by a Board-level access Head of Sustainability and a National Sustainability Committee, it works through 3 roles – Lead, Support, Promote – across 4 pillars. Its engine is the free, expert-led Sustainability Leaders Programme: Golf Ireland as a “sustainability caddie”, supporting each club from wherever it starts.
In under 2 years it has grown from a 18-club pilot to 125+ engaged clubs, with ecology, energy and waste audits & action plans, progress toward GEO certification and achieved real financial savings for clubs. What sets it apart is the power of the collective – clubs across Ireland tackling shared challenges together, each stronger for being part of something national, with clear support and direction from their governing body. It taps what clubs already care about: pride in their place, the quality of play, and their people. A blueprint any sport could follow.
In April 2025, Paddle Australia launched Paddle Forward 32, its Strategic Plan to 2032, placing sustainability at the heart of a national sport for the first time. Kim Crane’s CEO leadership is transforming sport into a lifestyle movement.
Just months later, the organization proved that commitment through the 2025 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in Sydney — the first World Championships on Australian soil since 2005.
The Championships became a live demonstration of the strategy in action: 100% renewable-matched venue electricity, carbon offsetting for unavoidable emissions, a nine-stream waste program diverting 73% of waste from landfill, and 8,643 single-use plastic bottles avoided through free water stations. Independent Griffith University research found 61% of attendees left more aware of sustainability, with 91% appreciating the initiatives on display.
It was also the first event to calculate a Social Return on Investment, with results already shaping venue energy planning ahead of Brisbane 2032.
This wasn’t a communications campaign — it was a governed, funded, independently measured transformation, delivered with the NSW and Australian Governments and embedded across procurement, volunteers and operations. Paddle Australia moved from strategic intent to verified environmental impact within eighteen months, setting a new benchmark for Australian sport.
Redy – Win in All Fields is Benfica’s transformational sustainability strategy, designed to embed ESG principles across one of the world’s largest member-owned sports institutions.
While Benfica had a long history of sustainability and social impact initiatives, these efforts were largely developed independently across the organisation. In 2024, Benfica undertook its first ESG Mapping Exercise, engaging 90+ contributors across 13 departments and identifying 80+ initiatives. This became the catalyst for a unified sustainability strategy, governance framework and long-term roadmap.
Since then, Benfica has completed its first double materiality assessment, identifying 146 IROs, launched its first GHG inventory, and published its first Sustainability Report. More than 5,000 supporters contributed to sustainability and mobility surveys, generating valuable insights to inform future action.
Redy has also led to new sustainability programmes, including Club Redy, a Sustainable Value Creation Platform that redefines sponsorship through measurable ESG outcomes. The strategy has gained international recognition, with Benfica invited to share its approach at leading forums, including the WFS, Green Sports Alliance, Coliseum Summit Europe and UEFA sustainability programmes.
In less than two years, Benfica has transformed sustainability from fragmented initiatives into a strategic, measurable and organisation-wide model, demonstrating how sport can drive meaningful and lasting change.
State Farm Stadium reinvigorated its waste management system starting in 2023, adding kitchen composting, hard-to-recycle material collection, and seeking expert guidance, then accelerated progress in 2025 with a comprehensive waste audit, back-of-house sorting operation, mini balers, expanded organics collection, and a reusable serviceware pilot.
A stadium-wide training effort (1,787 teammates across 18 sessions) and a cross-department Green Team embedded awareness and accountability, while strategic partnerships boosted operations and community impact. Key operational shifts like implementing back-of-house sorting, removing the trash chute, improving bin infrastructure and signage, “double picking” the bowl, and maximizing food and material donations led to huge gains in waste diversion.
The stadium’s waste diversion rate jumped from 19.61% in 2023 to 59.94% by early 2026, outperforming local and state averages, and achieved a return rate over 99% in the reuse pilot. Next, the venue is working on a sustainability-focused hauler RFP, and hopes to add more balers and a mini-MRF, expand reuse, and improve back-of-house signage and attendee engagement.
YAESL’s “More Than a Pool” model proves aquatic centres can shift from high-energy facilities to civic infrastructure delivering climate, social and community outcomes.
Built at SAALC and now scaled through the Adelaide Aquatic Centre, the model turns environmental performance into public value: energy efficiency, waste reduction, circular procurement, staged degasification, reduced single-use plastics and biodiversity-led design create savings, credibility and operational discipline that are redirected into access, health, inclusion and resilience.
This is the YAESL Doughnut Economy in practice. It aligns with the UN Global Compact’s responsible business principles and the NSC narrative of using environmental synergies for social outcomes. The Business Plan shows the scale: 1.3 million annual visits, $121 million in social impact, 226,200 children in swimming lessons and 1,159 people with chronic conditions accessing Exercise Physiology.
Partnerships make the model real: Quayclean helped achieve a 15% waste reduction and recycling above 80%; Fleurieu Milk and Udder Way diverted more than 8,000 plastic bottles; Sports Environment Alliance, Surf Life Saving, veterans, homelessness, disability, First Nations, SASI, Swimming Australia and high-performance partners extend impact beyond operations. SAALC proves the model; AAC scales it through culturally led design, Country, biodiversity, universal access and inclusive public space.
The EFC Sustainability Report 2024/25 is the inaugural sustainability report published by European Football Clubs (EFC), representing more than 800 professional football clubs across Europe. Launched on 17 November 2025, the report was created to showcase progress made since the introduction of the EFC Sustainability Strategy in 2024 and to position sustainability as a core strategic priority for the future of football.
The publication combines transparent disclosure with practical club-led case studies covering environmental, social and governance topics. Featuring examples from clubs across different countries, sizes and competition levels, the report demonstrates how sustainability can be translated into tangible action regardless of a club’s resources or level of maturity.
The EFC Sustainability Report 2024/25 revolves around the 16 policy areas of the EFC Sustainability Strategy and aligns with the UEFA Sustainability Strategy and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, serving both as a progress update and as a practical blueprint for clubs seeking to strengthen their own sustainability efforts, while promoting peer learning, transparency and accountability across the European football ecosystem.
By showcasing real-world solutions and recognising club leadership, the EFC Sustainability Report 2024/25 transforms ambition into action and supports more sustainable football across Europe.
The FIM Sustainability Report 2025 represents a significant step forward in embedding sustainability across international motorcycling. As a voluntary report produced annually since 2022, it demonstrates the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme’s (FIM) commitment to transparency, accountability and continuous improvement. Strategically launched as the opening milestone of FIM Sustainability Week, the report positioned sustainability at the centre of global communication and stakeholder engagement.
Targeting National Federations, promoters, organisers and partners worldwide, the report goes beyond disclosure by translating complex challenges—such as climate change, biodiversity loss and social impact—into practical, actionable solutions. Its voluntary alignment with GRI Standards further strengthens the credibility and comparability of its disclosures.
Developed through an extensive interview-based process involving stakeholders across the FIM ecosystem, the report reflects diverse perspectives and reinforces shared ownership of sustainability efforts. Its release reached all 123 National Federations and achieved measurable digital engagement, contributing to increased awareness and uptake of sustainability practices.
Importantly, the report also represents a cultural shift for the FIM, an organisation that has long worked on sustainability without seeking recognition.
Ultimately, it is more than a report—it is a catalyst for change, demonstrating how motorcycling can evolve and contribute to a more sustainable future.
From Commitment to Impact: 2026 Sustainability Report and Strategy Review – World Athletics
From Commitment to Impact: 2026 Sustainability Report and Strategy Review – World Athletics
‘From Commitment to Impact: 2026 Sustainability Report and Strategy Review’ provides a detailed look at the first five years of the World Athletics sustainability strategy, demonstrating how sustainability has become increasingly integrated into the organisation’s governance and event delivery. It then looks ahead, illustrating some of the challenges of the strategy’s next phase, which will need to be defined by consistency, scale and impact to ensure that the systems put in place continue to drive measurable change across the sport.
The report and review acknowledges that much has changed since the 2020 release of its sustainability strategy as Climate change has created more direct risk for athletes, event organisers and host communities.
That forced an honest assessment of the work and objectives over the first five years and a rethinking of how to proceed to create the strongest impact.
It includes an updated roadmap, taking into account the World Athletics Climate Transition plan that was developed in 2025, a climate risk and opportunity assessment, requirements of the updated ISO 20121:2024 event sustainability management system and evolving commitments and collaborations. Together, it provides a valuable template that other organisations can learn from and adopt in their sustainability journeys.
The 2026 GOAL Impact Report is a digital report created to show how sustainability progress is being defined, measured, communicated, and scaled across the live events industry.
Published ahead of Earth Day 2026, the report moves beyond a traditional annual recap by using sport and live events as a platform for education, awareness, recognition, and collective action. It combines climate and operational context, network-wide data, verified progress through the GOAL Standard and GOAL Medals, and real-world examples from venues and organizations across professional sport, live entertainment, motorsport, music, and large-scale events.
The report highlights how GOAL Members are taking action across energy, water, waste, biodiversity, partnerships, fan engagement, education, and communications. It also shows how individual venue efforts can become shared industry momentum when progress is made visible, practical, and replicable.
Created in-house by GOAL, the report was designed for sports and live event professionals looking to understand what meaningful sustainability leadership looks like in practice. Its central message is that the path forward is not individual, it is collective. By documenting verified action and translating it into accessible storytelling, the report helps the industry see what is possible and what can be scaled next.
The 2025 NASCAR IMPACT Report marks a milestone for America’s top motorsport. The inaugural report is structured around three core pillars – Community Building, Healthy Environments and STEM Excellence. The report includes NASCAR’s first public release of audited scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions and signals NASCAR’s long-term commitment to purposeful leadership beyond the racetrack.
Other report highlights include award-winning work with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, meaningful partnerships across America’s military and veteran communities, strategic STEM programming in public school systems and progress made toward set sustainability goals and targets. This report establishes the baseline for lasting operational change across the industry and showcases the power of activating partners, drivers and leaders in sport whose values are rooted in community.
Sport Lisboa e Benefica Sustainability Report (2024/25)
Sport Lisboa e Benefica Sustainability Report (2024/25)
Sport Lisboa e Benfica’s first Sustainability Report (2024/25) is more than a sustainability disclosure; it’s the first outcome of Redy – Win in All Fields, a transformational strategy designed to embed sustainability across one of the world’s largest member-owned sports institutions.
Developed through Benfica’s first ESG Mapping Exercise, involving more than 90 contributors across 13 departments and identifying over 80 sustainability initiatives, the report transformed fragmented actions into a unified vision for long-term value creation. Built around transparency, stakeholder engagement and continuous improvement, it establishes a clear roadmap towards 2030.
The report incorporates Benfica’s first double materiality assessment, greenhouse gas inventory, supporter sustainability and mobility research, while reflecting the voices of more than 5,000 supporters, reinforcing sustainability as a shared responsibility.
Following publication, Benfica was invited to present its approach at leading international forums, including the World Football Summit, Coliseum Summit Europe, the Green Sports Alliance Summit and the UEFA/EFC Sustainability in Football Compact Course hosted by SDA Bocconi School of Management, demonstrating growing international recognition.
The report inspired the creation of Club Redy, a Sustainable Value Creation Platform that redefines sports partnerships through measurable environmental and social impact, demonstrating how sport can drive collective action and accelerate sustainability transformation.
The Sustainable Sport Index (SSI) is the first and only benchmarking report of its kind dedicated to evaluating the environmental and social sustainability performance of sports venues across North America. Now in its sixth year, SSI empowers professional, collegiate, and minor league venues to self-report data in key areas, such as energy and water use, waste diversion, environmental resilience, and more. In return, each participant is only listed in our anonymized benchmarking report along with a custom and confidential individualized report tailored to their operations.
Led by APTIM’s Sustainability Solutions team with year-round coordination by SSI lead Gabrielle Fleming. SSI provides a big-picture view of industry progress and practical, data-driven guidance to support on-the-ground improvements. Participation has grown significantly, from 41 venues in 2023 to 70 in 2025.
Offered at no cost, SSI has become a trusted reference point for teams, leagues, and venue operators, and its findings have been cited in strategic planning, internal reporting, and sustainability summits. By building a framework rooted in transparency, collaboration, and continuous improvement, SSI is helping shift sport toward a leadership role in climate action, making sustainability accessible, measurable, and actionable for every venue, no matter its size or starting point.
LFC’s TRW Report 2026 is redefining sustainability reporting in sport. More than a traditional ESG report, it’s a strategic tool that uses transparency, storytelling and robust data to strengthen accountability, inspire behaviour change and accelerate collective action.
Built around LFC’s club-wide sustainability strategy, TRW openly communicates both achievements and challenges, demonstrating that credible leadership is built on honesty rather than perfection. It combines rigorous environmental, social and governance reporting with interactive content, videos, case studies and authentic stories, making complex sustainability issues engaging and accessible for supporters, partners, employees and the wider sports industry.
The report achieved 128,000+ unique views, generated a potential global media reach of 145 million people, achieved zero negative media sentiment, and contributed to supporter awareness of TRW increasing from 13% to 34%. It also showcased holistic impact, including a 15% reduction in carbon emissions, 310,000+ single-use items eliminated through reuse initiatives, 145,617 people supported through LFC Foundation and 52% of suppliers holding carbon targets or net-zero ambitions.
By transforming sustainability reporting from a record of performance into a catalyst for accountability, collaboration and action, TRW has established a benchmark for transparency and leadership, demonstrating how football can inspire and drive meaningful change beyond the pitch.
Union Cycliste Internationale Sustainability Report
Union Cycliste Internationale Sustainability Report
To mark World Sustainable Transport Day in 2025, the UCI published its second Sustainability Report, tracking progress against its 2030 sustainability strategy. It highlights the UCI’s achievements and initiatives in 2024 and 2025, as well as the remaining challenges in advancing the environmental and social transformation of cycling worldwide – while underlining the bicycle’s vital role as a sustainable form of transport.
Published digitally in English and French, it provides a rigorous and transparent evaluation, in an easy-to-read format, of progress on the action plan’s 29 objectives and 84 actions, organised around four pillars: Climate Action, Nature, People, and Cycling for All. Its reach extended beyond sport, engaging cities and transport stakeholders alongside National Federations, event organisers, teams and riders.
Case studies highlighting concrete examples of implementation delivered by the UCI and cycling family stakeholders were built into the report, giving others across the cycling family successful and replicable examples to follow.
Beyond its external reach, the report proved a powerful internal catalyst, strengthening sustainability engagement and sparking new initiatives, from a reusable container food waste service to “The Green Breakaway,” a new series showcasing Climate Action Charter signatories — evidence that transparent self-assessment can drive action long after publication.
Venue Sustainalytics 2024 Industry Report: Honeycomb Strategies
Venue Sustainalytics 2024 Industry Report: Honeycomb Strategies
The Venue Sustainalytics 2024 Industry Report (published April 2026) is the first publicly available, quantitative sustainability benchmarking report for the event venue industry. Developed by Honeycomb Strategies in partnership with the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM), TSNN, Legends Global, and the Green Sports Alliance, the report draws on primary survey data from 53 venues across seven global regions, covering energy, water, waste, and operational practices from the 2024 calendar year.
Rather than presenting itself as a finished conclusion, the report is designed as a living benchmark: it is paired with a free public dashboard, individualized venue comparison reports, and an annual data collection cycle, with the 2025 survey already open. By turning fragmented, siloed venue data into a shared industry resource, the report empowers venues to track progress, learn from peers, and drive meaningful, collective climate action across the live events sector.
Titled Winning the Breaking Ball, Croke Park’s comprehensive Sustainability Report outlines how the stadium is responding to the complex environmental, social, and governance challenges facing the sports and events sector. The report highlights the actions already taken and the measurable progress achieved—including transitioning heavy infrastructure from diesel to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), replacing pitch maintenance equipment with electric mowers, and implementing extensive rainwater harvesting and renewable energy projects. By aligning these capital milestones with rigorous ISO 20121:2024 standards and approved Science-Based Targets (SBTi) to slash absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50.4% by 2032, the publication sets out a clear, verifiable roadmap to build long-term resilience, drive behavioral change across our supply chain, and deliver a lasting positive impact for the wider community.
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