An integrated approach to sustainability in sport

Image by Rémi Jacquaint via Unsplash

The link between sport and climate change is abundantly clear. From heat waves to typhoons, extreme weather and natural disasters are disrupting sporting events around the world. As global temperatures continue to rise, athletes will find it increasingly difficult to train and compete outdoors. By 2050, it is estimated that teams will have to cancel 30-50 outdoor practices due to extreme heat. Meanwhile, the release of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compromises air quality, posing a significant threat to athletes' health and performance.

Not only is sport heavily impacted by the changing climate, it is also contributing to the problem. Estimates of sport’s carbon footprint vary drastically, although one calculation suggests that industry emissions are similar to that of a medium-sized country. One thing, however, is undeniable: sport has a major sustainability issue. In recent years, the sports industry seems to have woken up to this issue and is now taking steps to rectify its negative environmental impact. Many voluntary and organizational initiatives have been put in place to develop sustainability strategies adapted to sport. The International Olympic Committee, for example, recognizes sustainable development as one of the five pillars of its Olympic Agenda 2020+5. Clubs and teams are also taking initiative, like the newly implemented sustainability strategy at Eintracht Frankfurt which measures sustainability against 300 data points.

The UNFCCC Sports for Climate Action Framework is the biggest global initiative of the sort, bringing together teams, clubs, national and international governing bodies, as well as sporting events, in a pledge to measure, reduce and offset their carbon emissions. The framework counts over 270 signatories to date, all of them committed to halving GHG emissions by 2030 and reaching “net-zero” emissions by 2040. Despite these visible efforts and commitments, sport continues to lag behind other industries in reducing its environmental impact.

Urgent action is needed to reverse biodiversity loss and reduce global warming in this decade. Sport has the ability to inspire billions of people around the world and to become a global leader in climate action. That all starts with rethinking the meaning of sustainability in the sports sector.

Redefining sustainability in sport

In my experience, sustainability in sport is generally synonymous with environmental sustainability. But in reality, sustainability is so much more than just a climate change issue. Achieving sustainability means that people’s economic and social needs are being met without compromising natural resources for future generations. In order to do so, it is imperative to approach environmental, social and economic development in a holistic and integrated fashion.

The distinction between environmental sustainability and sustainability as a whole is important because all global development issues – from gender inequity to climate change – are deeply systemic. Working on climate change in a silo is ineffective, and leads us to ignore how social, economic and environmental problems intersect. It drives us to adopt misguided goals that ultimately fail to tackle the root cause of climate change.

Take the goal to reach net-zero emissions by 2040, for example. On the face of it, Net-Zero is a good plan. Its aim is to reduce emissions while removing excess emissions in our atmosphere. In theory, global warming will be stopped when we achieve a balance between the GHG emissions we produce and those we remove from the atmosphere. In practice, many in the sports industry (and beyond) are choosing to reduce their environmental footprint through carbon offsetting schemes and projects, rather than by outright reducing emissions.

A full breakdown of the flaws in carbon offsetting warrants its own blog post, but in short, carbon offsetting works as follows. Say an organization produces a certain amount of emissions in a year. This organization can purchase carbon offsetting credits or invest in a carbon offsetting project to compensate for those emissions. Some popular types of offsets are projects focused on storing carbon in soil, trees and water. While the need for biodiversity conservation and restoration is undeniable, banking on nature-based solutions to save us from global warming is deeply problematic.

Climate change is already having a severe impact on the natural world. Without an absolute reduction in carbon emissions, the planet will continue to warm and severe weather events will continue to undermine ecosystems. The longevity of carbon offsetting schemes is put into question when you consider how easily a forest can be destroyed by wildfire or the fact that drought increases the release of carbon from soil. Ultimately, carbon offsetting is a distraction from the one thing that will undeniably stop global warming: an immediate reduction in GHG emissions.

For an integrated approach to sustainability

Instead of tackling climate change and biodiversity degradation in a silo, what I’m advocating for is an integrated approach to sustainability in sport. In addition to approaching the environmental aspect of sustainability, the sports industry needs to consider the socio-economic questions that underpin climate and biodiversity issues. Achieving environmental sustainability requires dismantling the systems that have caused our planetary degradation in the first place. The same systems that happen to disenfranchise women, entrench racial injustice and hinder social mobility.

It is no longer sufficient to switch to reusable cups at sporting events, invest in reforestation projects or encourage fans to use public transportation. These actions are symptomatic treatments that fail to address why sport has become so unsustainable in the first place. Therefore, sustainable development in sport can only happen if there is a clear understanding of how environmental issues cross-cut other socio-economic issues.

Recent studies show that natural disasters disproportionately affect vulnerable groups like women, children, the elderly, lower income households and people with a disability. Despite this, policies and initiatives aimed at addressing environmental issues fail to acknowledge these groups and can even harm them. Policies like carbon taxes or public transportation expansion can negatively affect the most vulnerable, by overlooking their needs. By adopting environmental solutions that incorporate social and economic sustainability, sport can adequately address and mitigate the root cause of these problems.

Sport already has a significant impact on social issues; it fosters social inclusion and is a unifying force around the world. Many sports teams and clubs are already involved in community initiatives aimed at improving health and well-being, expanding education, and combatting racial injustice. Therefore, the sports industry as a whole is perfectly poised to enable transformative, sustainable change.

So, how can sport adopt a more integrated approach to sustainability? Here are some recommendations that can help organizations get started:

1. Embrace the interconnectivity of environmental, social and economic issues

Messaging around sustainability in sport needs to shift away from its current carbon-tunnel vision. Adopting strategies that address all of these issues in a holistic fashion will help sport tackle their root cause.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a good starting point to understand the intersection of these issues.

2. Report on ESG and its intersections

Measuring performance against Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) metrics is very popular across all industries. But most ESG reporting fails to look past environmental measurements, like emissions production, and overlook the intersection between all three categories of impact.

By adopting holistic metrics like the Global Reporting Initiative Standards, which help organizations embed the SDGs into their reporting, sports leaders can ensure they are measuring their impact in an integrated fashion.

3. Ensure diversity at a decision-making level

Tackling systemic issues requires the inclusion of systemically marginalized groups in decision-making processes. Improving diversity on boards and in leadership roles can only lead to better solutions for the environment and broader sustainability.

A recent study of 2,000 companies shows that an increase in the share of female managers by just 1%, led to a 0.5%. decrease in carbon emissions.

4. Learn from a diversity of stakeholders

Applying an integrated lens to sustainability is an acknowledgement that issues like climate change are extremely complex and run deep. This presents an exciting opportunity to work with a wide range of individuals who have unique areas of expertise and can develop innovative solutions.

Sports leaders should prioritize working with local partners who have first-hand knowledge and experience of the issues in their community.