Sports have a unique place in our hearts and minds, and billions of people around the world enjoy watching sporting events and partaking in sports activities, with untold benefits for our mental and physical wellbeing. When we gather at sports venues, we revel in the buzz that comes from the crowd, with thousands of people united in a common enjoyment of competitive sport. Yet, climate change is threatening the fundamental nature of sports at all levels. Hotter temperatures, extreme weather events, and flooding all affect the ability of athletes to train and compete safely. Sports organizations around the world have a long road ahead in adopting sustainable practices to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change.
Organizations must adapt if they want their sport to continue and some are taking considerable strides to tackle this head on. The England and Wales Cricket Board have invested over £3.4 million in 181 grassroots cricket clubs affected by flooding, to get their clubs up and running and strengthen defenses. The Winter Olympics might be forced to adapt its host-country model since only four of the previous Winter Olympics venues could reliably host the Games by 2050 if the current climate change trajectory continues. Artificial snow might not be an option as rising temperatures might not support any kind of snow cover. The Rio 2016 Olympics alone generated 4.5 million tons of CO2, and the 2022 Qatar Football World Cup was estimated to generate 3.6 million tons, 50% more than the 2018 Russian World Cup.
Sports organizations are intrinsically connected to many other sectors: food, travel, sponsorship, apparel, broadcasting, and tourism, to name a few. By making demands on their suppliers for sustainable practices and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions, sports organizations can strengthen and amplify their impact. Many are backing up plans with challenging targets and realistic yet achievable roadmaps, such as the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), International Olympic Committee (IOC), International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), and National Basketball Association (NBA). We are also seeing the launch of green competitions, such as Formula E motor racing, where drivers compete solely using electric cars and, despite being a one-off tournament, the Sky Zero match between local UK football teams, Chelsea FC and Tottenham Hotspur, shed real light on climate issues.
A growing community championing and driving sustainable activity is the launch of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Sports for Climate Action Framework. A large number of signatories have committed to five core principles to drive climate action:
- Undertake systematic efforts to promote greater environmental responsibility
- Reduce overall climate impact
- Educate for climate action
- Promote sustainable and responsible consumption
- Advocate for climate action through communication
Forest Green Rovers, one of the first sustainable sports clubs (the first carbon-neutral and vegan football club), is often hailed as a leader in this space and is now looking to build the worldâs greenest football stadium. Under Dale Vince’s leadership, the Rovers have championed a green revolution, from vegan menus to solar-powered stadiums. With the launch of NBA Green, the world of professional basketball took a significant leap toward sustainability, leveraging its widespread influence to foster a culture of environmental responsibility.
While a single NBA game can generate up to 35 tons of waste, excluding its fansâ and athletesâ travel and accommodation, the focus will be on the following areas in the future of sustainable sports:
- Focus on eco-friendly facilities. Teams with existing stadiums can prove their commitment to sustainability in having facilities earn a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by meeting a set of efficiency and health standards. For instance, the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, home of the NBAâs Sacramento Kings, is completely solar-powered and stands as the first LEED Platinum-certified arena in the world. Other LEED-certified sports facilities are such iconic venues as the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, and the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
- A collective push to reduce waste through recycling and composting initiatives and the elimination of single-use plastic food and drink containers and utensils. Even simple measures, such as providing a recycling bin next to every trash can, can make a surprising dent in the volume of garbage fans throw away. Reverse vending machines go a step further and let spectators earn rewards in exchange for recycling empty beverage containers. Venues can also seek certification for their waste reduction efforts. The Atlanta Hawksâ State Farm Arena earned acclaim in 2021 as the worldâs first officially recognized zero-waste venue, having managed to divert, compost, reuse, or recycle more than 90% of its trash.
- A switch to renewable energy sources reduces the environmental impact of sports operations and activities and provides clean, low-cost energy to sports venues â a win-win situation for the environment, fans, and players. The gold standard in energy-efficient stadiums is Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, home to the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). The facility is powered by renewable energy and uses no fossil fuels. All internal mechanical systems, cooking systems, and even the Zamboni machines, are electric. The organization further intends to purchase carbon credits to fully offset emissions, such as air travel for players, that cannot yet be eliminated.
- Air travel, a major source of carbon emissions, is perhaps the most intractable problem the sports industry faces when it comes to improving sustainability â and the one most in need of innovative solutions. Efforts are underway to use more fuel-efficient planes, to create more regionalized schedules that would minimize travel time, and to partner with airlines to use cleaner fuel sources.
- Use technology to increase efficiency.Digital twin technology allows teams to build a virtual model of their facilities for scenario planning, a powerful tool that can be employed to consider the benefits and risks associated with potential sustainability initiatives. Once those initiatives are in place, a digital twin allows teams to monitor and adjust, in real time, as new programs are implemented. Even better, digital twin technology can be used across the organization to enhance nearly every aspect of operations, from maintenance and security to player performance and fan experience.
As climate disclosure regulations proliferate around the world, it is clear that setting and tracking metrics to reduce carbon emissions will become the new norm in all aspects of business, in the sports industry and beyond. To learn more about how your organization can design and implement effective strategies for decarbonization, please contact Canopy Edge for an initial consultation to review options that best fit your business model and industry.
