SUSTAINABILITY
ESSENTIALSA SERIES OF PRACTICAL GUIDESFOR THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENTINTRODUCTION TO
SUSTAINABILITYSUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSSUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALS• The IOC as an organisation: To embrace

Sustainability is one of the most pressing
challenges of our time across a wide
spectrum of social, environmental andeconomic matters. Major issues such as
climate change, economic inequality andsocial injustice are affecting people
throughout the world. These are alsopressing concerns for the sports community,
both for managing its day-to-day affairs andfor its responsibilities towards young people
and future generations. We also recognisethat sport has an unrivalled capacity tomotivate and inspire large numbers ofpeople. This is why we believe that the
Olympic Movement has both a duty and an
opportunity to contribute actively to global
sustainability in line with our vision: “Building
a better world through sport”.

sustainability principles and to include
sustainability in its day-to-day operations.

• The IOC as owner of the Olympic 		

Games: To take a proactive and leadershiprole on sustainability and ensure that it isincluded in all aspects of the planning andstaging of the Olympic Games.

• The IOC as leader of the Olympic 		

Movement: To engage and assist Olympic
Movement stakeholders in integrating
sustainability within their own organisations
and operations.

Following on from Olympic Agenda 2020,
we issued the IOC Sustainability Strategy inDecember 2016. The Strategy is based on
our three spheres of responsibility and five
focus areas, as illustrated below.

It is therefore logical that sustainability forms
one of the key elements of Olympic Agenda
2020, the Olympic Movement’s strategic
roadmap adopted in December 2014.
In particular, this defined our approach tosustainability across the IOC’s three spheresof responsibility:

The IOC Sustainability Strategy framework is illustrated below:
Infrastructure and natural sites
Sourcing and resource management

Mobility

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IOC ASASEIMPACTIOC

INFLUENCE

ClimateSUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSThe Strategy sets out a number of actions
in our capacity as leader of the Olympic
Movement. Among these is a commitment
to develop common guidelines,
methodologies and tools for National
Olympic Committees (NOCs) andInternational Federations (IFs).
Further information can be found athttps://www.olympic.org/sustainability.

The “Sustainability Essentials” series of guides
is the first concrete outcome of thiscommitment. These guides aim to provide
simple, practical and essential information on
key aspects of sustainability for NOCs and IFs
to be better able to navigate the complexitiesof this subject and develop effective
sustainability programmes. Whether yourorganisation is just starting out, or is alreadyactively engaged in sustainability, we hopethese guides will provide a valuable overview
and reference point for this important topic.

FEEDBACK
We hope that our “Sustainability Essentials” guides will provide a valuable basis for understanding
sustainability. We also know that sustainability is a constantly evolving discipline, with new issues,challenges and opportunities always needing to be addressed. We therefore welcome feedback,comments and suggestions so that we can continually improve our guidance and ensure ourmaterial is as fresh, relevant and accurate as possible. If you have any comments, please contact
us in any language at: sustainability@olympic.org

PRINTING
This document is available only as a downloadable pdf file from the IOC website.
If you need to print a copy, please set your printer to double-sided copying on recycled paper.
Ideally, please also avoid colour printing and copying.
03

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSCONTENTS
1. Introduction...................................................... 6
What we mean by sustainability........................ 8

2. Sport and sustainability............................. 10
The IOC Sustainability Strategy......................... 13
Sustainability principles........................................ 14
3. Getting started...................................... 16
Take stock of where you are............................... 18
Understanding the implicationsof a new approach................................................. 19
Opportunities........................................................... 19
Cost savings......................................................... 19
Increased revenue.............................................. 19
Reputation/image............................................... 20
Legal compliance............................................... 20
Optimising talent................................................. 20
Challenges................................................................ 20

4. Essential steps............................................... 22
Define a clear vision and strategy...................... 23
Demonstrate leadership commitment
and effective governance..................................... 24
Engage with stakeholders.................................... 26
Determine which issues matter most............... 27
Set objectives and targets................................... 29
Evaluate progress................................................... 30
Report, communicate andshare knowledge.................................................... 31
5. Stepping up a level............................... 32
Maturity matrix......................................................... 33
Governance and sustainability........................... 34
Management systems approach....................... 34
Independent certification................................. 36
Other standards.................................................. 37
Sustainability reporting......................................... 37
Sustainability communications........................... 39
Knowledge sharing and learning legacy......... 41
Getting help.............................................................. 41
Final thoughts.......................................................... 4304

6. Appendices....................................................... 44
Appendix 1: Practical focus areas................. 45
Infrastructure and natural sites........................... 46
New venue development................................. 46
Management of existing venues.................... 48
Sourcing and resource management............... 49
Key elements of sustainable sourcing.......... 49
Certified products............................................... 51
Services................................................................. 51
Existing suppliers and sponsors.................... 51
Waste management........................................... 51
Mobility................................................................... 52
Travel and transport of people....................... 52
Moving goods and materials........................... 53
Workforce................................................................. 55
Possible measures to implement................... 56
Climate................................................................... 57
What is climate change?.................................. 57
Measuring carbon emissions.......................... 59
Reducing carbon impacts of sport............... 59
Compensating for unavoidable
carbon emissions................................................ 60
Adapting to climate impacts............................ 61
Appendix 2: Sustainable events.................... 62

Appendix 3: Glossary................................... 64

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALS

1

ASSESS YOURSTARTING POINT
Take stock of what you havebeen doing on sustainability,
or assess opportunities andchallenges of getting started.

2

DEFINE YOUR VISION
AND STRATEGY
Map out what you think asustainable future for yourorganisation looks like.

3

DEMONSTRATELEADERSHIP
Set the direction
for achieving
your vision.

4

ESTABLISH EFFECTIVE
GOVERNANCE
Make sure sustainability
fits into your organisational
structures and decisionmaking processes.

5

INTRODUCTION TO
SUSTAINABILITY
IN BRIEF SUMMARY OF
KEY STEPSENGAGESTAKEHOLDERS
Talk to everyone who isaffected or influenced byyour organisation’s activities.

IDENTIFY KEY ISSUESAND SCOPE
Decide what mattersand is relevant.

6

SET OBJECTIVESAND TARGETS
Define what you
are going to do
and by when.

7

ASSESSPROGRESS
Measureand evaluate
performance.

8

REPORT
Provide a credible
account of what
you have done.

9

COMMUNICATE
Spread the word and talkabout what you haveachieved, what waschallenging and what you
have learned.

1005

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALS

1

INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTION

06

INTRODUCTIONSUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSINTRODUCTION
This is the introductory guide to our“Sustainability Essentials” series. Our aim
here is to provide a general understandingof sustainability: what it means, why it isimportant, how it relates to sport and what
your organisation can do to be part of thiscritical endeavour.
We have compiled this general overview ofsustainability as we believe it is essential for
National Olympic Committees (NOCs) andInternational Sports Federations (IFs) – indeed
any sports organisation – to have a basic
understanding of how sustainability is relevantto sport, and how to go about developing aneffective sustainability programme that also
leaves lasting legacies.
There are many organisations across the
sporting world, large and small, that are alreadyactively engaged in individual aspects ofsustainability. Typically, these tend to fall into
two separate categories: “greening” initiatives,
where the focus is on the environment, and“social responsibility” projects supporting
worthy causes in the wider community.
These are good things to do, and some

impressive achievements have been made.
To learn more about the kinds of initiatives
being undertaken, we recommend you read
the wide selection of case studies the IOC haspublished on the sustainability projects of IFs:
https://www.olympic.org/sustainability.
True sustainability, however, goes much further
than individual projects. It is about looking
closely at what you do as an organisation,
the way you interact with society at large,
and ensuring you have appropriate governancestructures, policies and processes in place thatwill secure your long-term future for the benefitof your organisation, society and theenvironment.
All environmental and social initiatives need
to be seen in this context and embedded in
sport’s core activities, not as “nice-to-have”
add-ons that ignore sport’s actual impacts.
True sustainability offers indisputable value,
from cost savings and risk management
to improved stakeholder relations andpublic credibility.

TRUE SUSTAINABILITY OFFERS INDISPUTABLEVALUE, FROM COST SAVINGS AND RISKMANAGEMENT TO IMPROVED STAKEHOLDERRELATIONS AND PUBLIC CREDIBILITY

07

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSINTRODUCTION

WHAT WE MEAN BY SUSTAINABILITY
There are many formal definitions of sustainability
with variants on the theme of a balanced
approach to environmental, social and economic
aspects, providing for both present and futureneeds. This is very much the sense in which
the UN recognises sustainable development.
The IOC’s official definition of sustainability
is that, when making decisions, we ensure
feasibility, and we seek to maximise positive
impact and minimise negative impact in thesocial, economic and environmental spheres.
In practice, sustainability is about how you
work and make decisions. It is as much about
the culture of an organisation as it is about
technical aspects. We believe an organisation
can begin to achieve its vision and goals only
if it fully integrates sustainability principles andpractices into day-to-day operations, so thatthese become part and parcel of how people
think and behave.
The goal for any organisation should be to
maximise positive benefits while at the sametime avoiding or minimising negative impacts on
people and the environment. To turn suchaspirations into reality means being prepared
to consider the consequences of decisions.
In turn, that means having all the relevant
information available to help inform suchdecisions.
Ultimately, therefore, sustainability is aboutfinding better ways of doing things and taking
the time to make well-informed long-term
choices. Sometimes this means challenging
established ways of doing things and rejecting
old thinking. An organisation that is truly
committed to sustainability is one that makes
the effort to understand its choices, to accountfor them and to learn from them.
A common misrepresentation iswhen people speak of “environmental
sustainability”, “social sustainability” or“economic sustainability” as separate disciplines.
True sustainability requires an integrated andholistic approach; it cannot be segregatedinto component parts. For example, climatechange may be viewed as an environmental
phenomenon, but its impacts affect society
and economies at many levels. Measures tomitigate or adapt to climate change are therefore
necessarily relevant to sustainability in its
full sense.

SUSTAINABILITY AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR)
These two terms are often confused andused interchangeably. While there is someoverlap, they in fact cover distinctly different
approaches.
Sustainability encapsulates a long-term
and future-facing purpose; it is about what
we want to achieve and ensure we do not
over-exploit resources to the extent that
we diminish the quality of life of future
generations.
In contrast, CSR tends to focus on08

addressing current stakeholder issues.
Many organisations do good things, suchas making charitable donations that relievesocial problems. These are certainly
responsible things to do, but they are
not sustainable if they do not tackle theunderlying issue.
In essence, therefore, CSR mostly addresses
issues by means of compensatory goodcause activities, whereas sustainability isconcerned with one’s direct impacts andtheir causes.

INTRODUCTIONSUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSSOME KEY TRUTHS ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY
It is important to dispel some common
misperceptions about sustainability,
because we want all Olympic Movement
organisations to feel comfortable talking
about and implementing sustainability.

SUSTAINABILITY CAN BE PHASED IN

Sometimes people don’t start because
they don’t feel ready to do everything.
A fundamental principle of sustainability is
continual improvement. Therefore it isperfectly possible to start gradually andsteadily build up your programme.

MORE THAN GREEN

Often people think that sustainability isjust about the environment. Of course,
protecting the environment is an essential
part of sustainability; but it is also about
the way we treat people and adopt
responsible practices.

SUSTAINABILITY IS AFFORDABLE

Many organisations hold back from taking
action on sustainability because they fear
it will cost too much. In fact, a goodsustainability programme should actuallysave you money. Improved efficiency will
lower costs. Sustainable organisations canattract additional sponsorship revenue,
and there are unseen benefits in reduced
risks and more motivated staff.

SMALL ACTIONS DO ADD UP

The scale of global challenges like climatechange, alleviating poverty or hunger canseem so daunting: how can small,individual actions make a difference?
Change does not usually come about
through a single decision; it is more
typically the result of lots ofsmaller, incremental actions thatcollectively shift societal attitudes. Sportis especially important here as it has thepower to inspire others, so that youractions can be multiplied many times over.

YOU DON’T NEED TO BE AN EXPERT

People can be afraid to apply sustainability
because they are not technical experts.
This is not important. So much ofsustainability relates to behaviour andways of working: understanding processrather than having technical knowledge.
Where some technical guidance isneeded, don’t be afraid to ask for help.

09

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALS

2

SPORT AND SUSTAINABILITY

SPORT ANDSUSTAINABILITY

10

SPORT AND SUSTAINABILITYSUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSSPORT AND SUSTAINABILITY
Sport is a global passion. In its many anddiverse forms, sport enthuses and inspires
billions of people across the world. The sharedvalues among the sports community are a
powerful basis for mutual understanding,cooperation and peace.
Today, these attributes are ever more precious.
The world faces significant challenges acrossa wide spectrum of social, environmental andeconomic matters. Major issues such as social
injustice, economic inequality and climatechange are affecting increasing numbers ofpeople around the world.
Year after year, surveys show that people are
increasingly interested in sustainability. Thereis a growing expectation across society thatbusinesses, institutions and public bodies
take more direct responsibility for theirenvironmental, social and ethical performance,
as well as their financial results. In an age ofincreasing scrutiny and open communication
through social media, the views of stakeholders– regulators, partners, shareholders, clients,
customers, media and the general public –take on a whole new level of significance.
These same opportunities, challenges andexpectations apply to the world of sport.
From initial concerns over the environmental
impact of sports practices, the agenda has

now broadened to cover an array of societal
issues, including health and wellbeing, social
inclusion, gender equality, governance,accountability, transparency and human rights.
For sport in particular, there is also the recurring
theme of “legacy”: the long-term benefits
to host communities of building sports
infrastructure and staging sports events.
Sustainability is what underpins the ability
to deliver a lasting, positive legacy.
Above all, however, it is a question of values.
Modern Olympism was founded on thefundamental principle of placing sport at theservice of the harmonious development of
humankind. The world of sport cannot standby, immune and aloof from the global
challenges of our time. No matter where you
are located, or the size of your organisation,
it is important to be aware of these challenges,
to understand how they might affect you andto be able to do something about them.
We believe, therefore, that the Olympic
Movement has both an opportunity and a duty
to contribute actively to global sustainability inline with our vision: “Building a better world
through sport”.

THE WORLD OF SPORT CANNOT
STAND BY, IMMUNE FROM
AND ALOOF TO THE GLOBAL
CHALLENGES OF OUR TIME
11

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSSPORT AND SUSTAINABILITY

THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS AND SPORTIn September 2015 at the United Nations(UN) Sustainable Development Summit, 193
global leaders adopted the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development, a global charter
framed around the five “Ps”: People, Planet,
Prosperity, Peace and Partnerships.
The 2030 Agenda notably includes the 17
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The new goals call for action by all countries
to promote prosperity while protecting theplanet. This is significant because it showsthat sustainability is relevant everywhere;
it is not simply the responsibility of richer,developed nations.
The SDGs provide a common frameworkfor governments, businesses and otherorganisations to explain how they plan tocontribute to sustainable development
and to tackle the key global sustainability
challenges. The SDGs include many
aspirations, closely aligned with the12

Olympic Movement’s third mission ofpromoting sport and the Olympic values insociety. By further embedding sustainability
in our activities and developing partnerships
with relevant bodies, we consider that the
Olympic Movement can reinforce its
contribution to the realisation of these
SDGs (see figure below).
Significantly, for its part, the UN General
Assembly also confirmed the importantrole that sport plays in supporting the SDGs.
Paragraph 37 of the UN 2030 Agenda
states: “Sport is also an importantenabler of sustainable development.
We recognise the growing contributionof sport to the realisation of development
and peace in its promotion of tolerance
and respect and the contributions it makes
to the empowerment of women and ofyoung people, individuals and communities
as well as to health, education and social
inclusion objectives”.

SPORT AND SUSTAINABILITYSUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSTHE IOC SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY
Following the approval of Olympic Agenda 2020,
the IOC’s strategic roadmap, in December
2014, we initiated an extensive stakeholder
consultation during the preparation of ourSustainability Strategy in 2015 and 2016.
This included dialogue with a number of IFs
and NOCs, commercial partners, NGOs,international institutions, academics and experts.
The Strategy was finalised and approved by theIOC’s Executive Board in December 2016.

The Strategy sets out how the IOC
intends to address sustainability acrossits three spheres of responsibility: the IOC
as an organisation; as owner of the
Olympic Games; and as leader of the
Olympic Movement, and in line with
the UN’s 2030 Agenda.
The core of the Strategy is based on five
focus areas:

STRATEGIC INTENTS FOR 2030 PER SUSTAINABILITY FOCUS AREA
SOURCING ANDRESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Sourcing of products and services byorganisations within the Olympic Movement,
and management of material resources
over their lifecycle

SCOPE

INFRASTRUCTURE
AND NATURAL SITES

Development and operation of indoor andoutdoor sites wherever sports activities takeplace, including support and administrative
infrastructure, such as non-competition
venues at the Olympic Games and officesof the Olympic Movement’s organisations

MOBILITY

Mobility of people and goods associatedwith the Olympic Movement’s activities,
at the local and global scale

WORKFORCE

Working conditions and opportunities offeredto employees, volunteers and contractors of
the Olympic Movement

CLIMATEManagement of direct and indirect greenhousegas emissions associated with the Olympic
Movement’s activities, and adaptation to theconsequences of climate change

The five focus areas are strongly inter-related
and should be considered as a whole. The first
four focus areas relate to things the sports
world does: building and operating venues;
procuring goods and services and managing
resources; moving people and goods; andmanaging people. The fifth area, climate, isa crosscutting theme, but we believe it is amatter of such critical importance that it
requires special attention as a focus area in
its own right.

More details on each of our five focus areas canbe found in Appendix 1 to this guide, and specificguides on each of these topics are being developed.
Our full Strategy document also has a chapter
detailing aspects of corporate governance and theways in which we manage sustainability within theIOC. This includes sections on management
systems, communications and reporting, all ofwhich are essential parts of the day-to-day
operation of a sustainability programme.
13

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSSPORT AND SUSTAINABILITY

This structure works for us, and we hope
our framework will help others to develop theirown sustainability strategies. However, we fullyrecognise that not all sports organisations are
structured in the same way. Your organisation
may have different priorities that you needto emphasise in your sustainability strategy
or programme.
In many larger organisations, different
departments deal specifically with matters that
fit under the wider banner of sustainability: theseinclude health and safety, education, community
engagement, gender equality, health and peace
through sport, social development through sport,
diversity, governance and ethics. It does notmatter how different areas of responsibility are
assigned within an organisation provided there
is sufficient internal coordination andcommunication, so that everyone is working
according with a coherent strategic purposein which sustainability is a common thread.
When determining your sustainability strategy,
you have to decide on an approach and agoverning structure for implementing yoursustainability strategy that are relevant foryour organisation.

SUSTAINABILITY PRINCIPLES
Sustainability is a concept founded on a numberof key principles. In the management systemstandard ISO 20121 (see p35), these are
specified as:• Integrity - adherence to ethical principles• Inclusivity - practice of fair treatment and 		

meaningful involvement of all interested parties

14• Stewardship – taking responsibility for one’s

actions that affect environmental performance,
economic activity and social progress• Transparency - openness about decisions

and activities that affect society, the economy
and the environment

Other standards and definitions may
use different or additional terms, such asaccountability, continual improvement, legal
compliance, collaboration, innovation andresponsibility, but the four listed above provide
a core set of principles that adequately convey
the sense of what sustainability is about.
These are applicable throughout the world
and across all business sectors. Sport is no
exception. Indeed, sport has an inherent affinity
for such principles through its values, as wellas its essential purpose to serve others,
encourage participation, and guide andeducate young people.
Unfortunately, however, sport has also been
affected by various negative issues, such as
corruption, match-fixing, doping, human rights
violations and gender inequality. Sport has
also at times been responsible for disregardingand even damaging the environment and local
communities. These impacts run counter tothe positive values and ethos of sport. Ultimately,
the way sports bodies provide for fair treatment
of individuals, communities and the environment
will be crucial to their own long-term wellbeing,
reputation and place in society. In this way, theprinciples of sustainability and the values andethics of sport are inextricably linked.

SPORT AND SUSTAINABILITYSUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALS

Case study
WORLD SAILING SUSTAINABILITY AGENDA 2030
As the governing body for the sport of sailing,
World Sailing issued a detailed sustainability
strategy in November 2016. The statedambition is to achieve substantial change
within the sport that can contribute actively
to global sustainability.
World Sailing’s sustainability programmeis based on recommendations across six
operational areas, and is aligned with both the
IOC Sustainability Strategy and the UN SDGs:• Technical standards• Events• Training• Venues and facilities• Members• Participation
Like the IOC Sustainability Strategy, these areclearly focused on the specific activities thatmake up the sport of sailing. Underpinning thestrategy across each of these operational
areas are nine objectives:• Establish a robust approach to 		sustainability across the sport, sharing bestpractice and setting standards and targets,
focusing on World Sailing operations, 		events and venues.
• Reduce World Sailing’s carbon footprint
and promote resource efficiency acrossthe sport.
• Respect and contribute to ecosystem 		
health and biodiversity.
• Promote diversity and accessibility
across the sport and drive gender equity
at World Sailing events in line with IOC 2020
sustainability objectives.
• Ensure sustainability is embedded into theteaching of sailing through teaching andcoaching frameworks.

• Promote a culture of sustainability by 		
sharing best practice and increasing 		sustainability awareness across Member
National Authorities, events, venues andaffiliated industries.
• Set technical standards by 2030 to reduce
the environmental impact of the sailingindustry, focusing on end of life of 		composites, and engine and energy 		technology.
Takea science-based approach 		•underpinned by research to understandthe impacts and identify solutions.
• Ensure credibility and transparency 		through robust monitoring and reporting.
These objectives were the outcome of thework of a sustainability commission of leading
experts from within and outside the sport,
who were tasked with advising on thedevelopment of the Sustainability Agenda
2030 and guiding and monitoring progressagainst the plan.
For each operational area, the strategy
references the link between proposed
actions and the overarching objectives,
as well as how they relate to the UN SDGs
and the IOC’s sustainability themes.
This is a comprehensive sustainability
strategy, appropriate for the sport of sailing.
Other sports organisations will have different
priorities, but the key learning here is toconsult widely; understand the nature ofyour sport and/or organisation – its impacts,
challenges and opportunities; and determine
how this fits with the global sustainability
agenda.

15

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALS

3

GETTING STARTEDGETTING
STARTED

16

GETTING STARTEDSUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSGETTING STARTEDOne of the biggest hurdles to overcome isdeciding to get started. Sustainability is avast topic, and it can be daunting to know
where to begin.
Many organisations start with small projects.
These may typically be focused on recycling,energy efficiency, tree planting and/or
other conservation work. For very smallorganisations, these can be worthwhilestarting points and good ways of engaging
with volunteers and the local community.
However, these types of initiatives – importantas they are – tend to be ad hoc environmental
projects, and do not usually embrace the widersocial and ethical dimensions of sustainability.
Many sports organisations do charitable workwith schools and community groups. Again,
this is good to do, but it does not necessarily
address impacts and issues arising from yourorganisation’s core activities. A true approachto sustainability has to be based on what yourorganisation actually does in its day-to-day
work. The environmental and social implicationsof your activities need to be understood andfactored into your policies and plans.

Importantly, even for the smallest of NOCs
and IFs, with limited physical or financial
resources, your organisation still has a voice
and a constituency of followers. This means
you can use your influence to advocate andto raise awareness of sustainability issues
affecting sport. To take an active role indialogue with public authorities and otherinstitutions means you have a place at thetable and can make it known that sport hasa relevant place in public policy discussions
on environmental, social and economic issues.
Of course, to have a more credible voice,it helps to be seen to be making strides
towards addressing sustainability issues,even at a simple level.
Organisations with a larger remit and profile
should be thinking of a more strategic andholistic approach that fully addresses all
relevant issues, risks and opportunities.

A TRUE APPROACH TO SUSTAINABILITY
HAS TO BE BASED ON YOURORGANISATION’S DAY-TO-DAY WORK

17

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSGETTING STARTEDTAKE STOCK OF WHERE YOU ARE
Before embarking on any defined sustainability programme, it is worth taking stockof your current situation. Some of the things to consider are listed below:?

What does your organisation
actually do?

?

Are there any aspects of yourorganisation’s activities thatmight have an impact on theenvironment, cultural heritage,
local communities or otherpeople?

?

?

Do you have any existing,or previous, initiatives related
to sustainability? If so how
successful are/were they
and what have you learnt
from them?

Have you experienced anypressure from sponsors,
regulators, media or
civil society to addressenvironmental, social
or ethical issues?

This can be an internal exercise, although anexternal “critical friend” would more likely give
you an honest answer. If sustainability is a new
step for you, this exercise will help highlightyour main areas of risk and opportunity andgive you a feel for the way forward.

18?

Is your sport/organisation
potentially at risk from impacts ofclimate change (flooding, drought,
forest fires, temperature rise)?

?

Do you have any strategic plansto grow your sport/organisation?
If so, how might these affect youranswers to the previous
questions?

?

What resources do you
have – people, sites,
partner organisations,expert advisers, funds?

?

Research what others in yoursport might already be doing,such as National Federations.

For those already involved insustainability in some way, think of thisas a “gap analysis” to identify strengths
and weaknesses. This can be assessedin the form of a maturity matrix(see page 33).

GETTING STARTEDUNDERSTANDING THE
IMPLICATIONS OF A NEW APPROACH
As you begin on the path to developing asustainability programme, it is important toconsider what you want to achieve and thepotential benefits this may bring. At the sametime, you need to consider potential obstacles
you may face.
Even if you are firmly persuaded that it is
the right thing to do, in any establishedorganisation there will be consequences of any
change in approach. Rethinking establishedways of doing things is always a challenge – itcan be seen as disruptive. On the other hand,change can be an energising and motivating
opportunity. It allows space for fresh thinking
and new ideas.
Ultimately, sustainability is not so much atechnical challenge as one of embracing
new processes and attitudes. A criticalstarting point is therefore to look at potential
opportunities and challenges. This exercise will
help guide your approach as you go forward.

OPPORTUNITIESThe benefits of implementing sustainability in aserious and meaningful way are considerable.
The top reason is simple: it is about doing the

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALS

right thing and being a responsible player
in society. This aligns with the core principles
and values of sport and is therefore anatural fit.
There is also value in taking a leadershiprole and driving change, rather than ignoring
issues until change is forced upon you. Bybeing proactive in adopting sustainability, thefollowing opportunities and benefits may arise.
Cost savings
Sustainability brings direct savings andefficiencies in resource consumption (energy,
fuel, water and consumables), minimisingwaste and optimising the lifetime value ofgoods and materials through effective sourcing
and re-use strategies. Planning, design andpermitting processes work more smoothly
and cost-effectively with a strong sustainability
focus, and risks from pollution incidents, fines,
protests, complaints and allegations can be
mitigated more effectively.
Increased revenue
Commercial sponsors are attracted toorganisations that complement their brandidentity. Strong sustainability credentials alsotranslate to lower risk. Sports sponsorshipthese days is more about partnership andworking together based on shared vision andvalues. It is rarely about unqualified support in
return for brand visibility.

CHANGE CAN BE AN ENERGISING
AND MOTIVATING OPPORTUNITY.
IT ALLOWS SPACE FOR FRESH
THINKING AND NEW IDEAS
19

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSGETTING STARTED

Reputation/image
Achieving credible recognition for sustainability isa key part of building a level of acceptance andtrust among local communities, public authorities
and other stakeholders. This is often referred toas one’s “licence to operate” and is fundamental
to the long-term wellbeing of the sport sector.
Unfortunately, the image of sport has been badly
tarnished in recent years in relation to matchfixing, doping, corruption, excessive costs, ticket
prices, labour rights etc. In the majority of cases,sustainability will not make those issues go away,
but it is part of the solution and supports good
governance, accountability and transparency,
which are so vital for securing public approval.
Legal compliance
Basic legal compliance should be a given for any
organisation, although this is not always the case.
Following a sustainability path should put you in abetter place in terms of identifying, understanding
and anticipating regulatory requirements. This is
another form of cost saving – or rather cost
avoidance – and also supports reputation risk
management.
Most laws and regulations relating to sustainability
tend to be domestic in nature, and these canvary considerably from one jurisdiction toanother. For sports organisations working acrossdifferent countries and regions this canbe quite complex. As a matter of principle, theresponsible thing to do is to base your approachon the highest legal standards you encounter,rather than drop to a lower level just because
local standards are weaker.

Optimising talent
Sustainable organisations are open, diverse andinclusive. This allows people from different
backgrounds, gender and ability to contribute
more effectively, bring new perspectives andideas, which in turn can generate a sense ofengagement, greater motivation and evenpride among your people. Harnessing andempowering your collective talent is probably themost tangible way of securing the opportunities
and benefits from adopting sustainability.

CHALLENGES
In the table that follows we set out the commonly
perceived barriers to implementing sustainability
and how to respond to them. These are notexcuses for inaction; they are simply realities
that need to be confronted.
Once you’ve overcome any barriers to getting
started on sustainability, there are likely to besome further challenges as you progress along
this path. Some of these may be the samebarriers recurring, and some will be newsituations. What is always important, however,is to maintain continuity of purpose towards
long-term goals.
Sustainability is not a fad. It is now a mainstream
concern of modern society and cannot betreated as a short-term, one-off matter. It is not
a project; it is a way of working, and it is vital topersevere through challenges, not regress to
old ways when problems arise or it seems
too difficult.

HARNESSING AND EMPOWERING YOURCOLLECTIVE TALENT IS PROBABLY THE
MOST TANGIBLE WAY OF SECURING THE
OPPORTUNITIES AND BENEFITS FROMADOPTING SUSTAINABILITY
20

GETTING STARTEDSUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALS

Perceived barriers todoing sustainability

Reason given

Response/solution

Cost

Sustainable options will be
more expensive.

Sometimes true, but typically you are more likely to see potential
savings from sustainable solutions. Sustainable solutions usuallyoffer better value when all factors are considered. For example,
procurement of goods that takes full account of their operationalcosts and end-of-life disposal can achieve considerable savingsand greater value over an item’s lifecycle.

Time

Everyone is busy – we don’t
have time to bother with new
approaches.

All organisations – and sport is no exception – need to set
aside some time to reflect on where they are going and what ishappening in the world around them. Eventually, implementing
sustainability should become part and parcel of the normal way
of working – embedded in decision-making. If it feels like anextra burden, it is not working properly.

Resistance to changeInternal resistance to changing
ways of working, either througha sense of “it’s not important”,
or “we are already doing
enough”.

This can be overcome by persuasive leadership and effective
internal communication and incentives. No organisation should
be complacent about being immune to societal expectations.
People expect sport bodies to be responsible in the way they
are governed and treat people, as well as show respect for theenvironment in which they operate. It is better to change under
one’s own terms than to have change enforced, as would
inevitably happen at some point.

Key external parties
not supportive

Fear that sponsors or otherpartners will not be willing tosupport new ways of working.

It is always important to speak with your key stakeholders to
explain what you want to do and encourage them to join in andfeel part of the initiative. Many of them might already be thinking
along similar lines, and this could lead to even more productive
partnerships.

Difficulty

We don’t really understand this,and it seems too technical anddifficult.

It is not about being experts or perfect. Nor does it have to
be too technical. Much of sustainability is about thinking andacting smarter. You can build up in stages, improving as
you go. Some training and new skills may be required, but thisis good for people development and can help motivate staff
and volunteers.

Lack of evidence
to justify change

Not always clear which option is“more sustainable”.

Often there isn’t just one right answer, but this should not be an
excuse to do nothing. Try to make informed choices based onwhat is known and/or your priority objectives; learn and improvebased on experience.

Credibility

Fear of stepping into theunknown and being criticisedfor insufficient effort or failure
to meet targets.

Organisations do not get criticised for trying to implement
sustainability, but they do risk criticism when they over-claim theirachievements, or when people think they don’t care. The worst
course of action is to do nothing and pretend it doesn’t matter.

Table 1: Some common reasons why organisations hesitate to implement sustainability
21

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALS

4

ESSENTIAL STEPSESSENTIAL
STEPS

22

ESSENTIAL STEPSSUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSESSENTIAL STEPSThis section outlines the basics of putting aneffective sustainability programme in place.
It is based on a series of essential steps thatprovide a pathway for any sports organisation
to commit to sustainability, to engage
meaningfully and to “walk the talk”.

this approach. Quite often, organisations start
off on a sustainability programme because theysense it is important and that they should bedoing something, but without really knowing
where it is heading, or how it relates to theircentral purpose.

This approach focuses on process, not specifictechnical aspects. This is because you needfirst to have an enabling environment in placein which to develop your programme, andthen keep it going. Individual circumstancesof geography, environment and culture will playa major role in determining the eventual content
and the actual measures you put in place.

Therefore, rather than simply being a “nice-todo” ad hoc project, sustainability needs to be
examined as a strategic choice for the future
direction of your organisation. Think of it interms of helping you in your core mission ofdeveloping sport. Consider how a sustainability
initiative will help you to build more positive
relations with public authorities and local
communities; attract new sponsors and events;
and/or improve efficiency and help you manage
your resources better. All these advantages arepotentially possible by adopting sustainability as
a working principle, but they do not just happen
by chance. It requires planning and purpose.

DEFINE A CLEAR VISION
AND STRATEGY
Assuming you have taken stock of yourcurrent situation and considered theopportunities and challenges as describedin the previous chapter, you are now ready tomove forward and put in place a meaningfulsustainability programme.
The starting point is to be clear as to why
you want to implement sustainability and theultimate objectives you hope to achieve throughIf you really mean to adopt a sustainability
approach and to do it well, it needs to be
integral to your organisation’s long-term
ambitions. It must not be a separate,unconnected exercise, because ultimately
this will not work and will potentially create
greater reputational risk.

IF YOU REALLY MEAN TO ADOPT ASUSTAINABILITY APPROACH AND TO DO IT
WELL, IT NEEDS TO BE INTEGRAL TO YOURORGANISATION’S LONG-TERM AMBITIONS

23

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSESSENTIAL STEPSESTABLISHING A SUSTAINABILITY VISION
The question to ask is what would a truly
sustainable NOC or IF look like? This creates
the exciting challenge of imagining a futuresustainable state and then back-casting totoday’s situation in order to assess the gap
and, therefore, what you need to do to getto the desired state.
This is a bold approach, but it is more
powerful than the conventional one ofbenchmarking against peers or looking
for incremental improvements. Being 10
or 20 per cent better than some calculatedbaseline is certainly progress, but it does nottell you whether that is enough.
A strong vision should certainly bechallenging. It may not be obvious at
first how to achieve it, but by establishing
the eventual outcome you seek, you will
have created a focus for developing yourstrategic plans.
Examples of possible long-term strategic
goals to underpin your long-term vision
could include:

DEMONSTRATE LEADERSHIP,
COMMITMENT AND EFFECTIVE
GOVERNANCE
Presidents, chief executives, board members
and directors – no matter how you are
structured – need to give their active backing
24• having a positive impact on biodiversity;• having operations that emit no greenhousegases or other harmful substances;• sourcing all products and services inways that have no negative environmental
or social impacts and applying ethicalsupply chain policies;• treating all products and materials as 		

valuable resources that can be re-used
multiple times;• creating a safe and inclusive working 		environment in which all your people
can flourish;• helping to create and support thriving

communities wherever you operate; and• engaging and empowering your partners
to act in the best interests of people
and the environment.

Some goals may be dependent on advancesin technology, limitations in local infrastructure
or cultural factors outside your control,
whereas others could be driven throughyour own policies and decisions about
how strongly you want to pursue thesustainability agenda.

to the sustainability programme. This requires
regular engagement in discussions, reviewing
progress and advocating the approach.
They must also be prepared to “walk thetalk” by ensuring that their actions anddecisions match the organisation’s values
and principles.

ESSENTIAL STEPS

The very best examples of sustainability
derive from good leadership, whereby
the actions of top management inspireothers to become involved. Ultimately,
sustainability is a shared responsibility
that needs to be woven throughout theorganisational structure and connected withpartners and other stakeholders; but this has
to start at the top. To do this effectively requires
decision-making processes (governance) thatare transparent, inclusive and accountable.
In terms of governance, it is important tohave clarity on how decisions are made andhow different entities (committees, working
groups and directors) inter-relate. This isgood business practice in any case, and for

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALS

sustainability it is a matter of ensuring thatthe issues are properly considered in thedecision-making processes. This means
that, for any major decision – for example, alarge procurement or sponsorship deal, choiceof a venue for an event, defining policies on
inclusion, travel or working conditions etc. –sustainability criteria will have been factored
into the options. The mechanisms for achieving
this may include setting out policies andguidelines for all managers and committees
to follow; providing structured templates withsustainability criteria/questions to examine;
and/or relying on key personnel to examine
the issues and provide recommendations(see also Chapter 5).

SUSTAINABILITY IS A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY
Depending on the size of your organisation,
you may decide to nominate someone, or asmall team, as (a) “sustainability champion(s)”.
This could include having a management
board member with responsibility forsustainability, and you may consider
extending this approach to other committees
and working groups in your organisation.
Larger organisations may recruit a
professional sustainability manager
and eventually build an in-house team.
No matter whether these are part-timevoluntary assignments or full-time

professional roles, or anything in between,
the organisation’s leadership must remain
engaged in the programme. There is always
the danger that, by nominating a responsible
person or team, everyone else assumes thatsustainability is being taken care of so they
do not need to do anything.
Sustainability is always a shared
responsibility. A focal person or team candrive and coordinate the effort, but it musthave the active engagement of everyone,
and that is why leadership commitment
is so vital.

THE VERY BEST EXAMPLESOF SUSTAINABILITY DERIVE FROMGOOD LEADERSHIP, WHEREBY THE
ACTIONS OF TOP MANAGEMENT INSPIREOTHERS TO BECOME INVOLVED
25

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSESSENTIAL STEPSENGAGE WITH STAKEHOLDERS
Sustainability cannot be pursued in isolation.
By definition, it is an outward-looking approachthat actively seeks input from people both
inside and outside your organisation.
Engagement with interested parties should beseen as a way of improving your understandingof the economic, social and environmental
context within which your organisation
operates, how other people view you andwhat they may reasonably expect of you.
This is valuable for building wider support
beyond your immediate sports community,and for anticipating how external parties may
react to your future plans.
It is worth starting by compiling a list of who
you think are your stakeholders. It will be
surprising how many different entities you
interact with on a regular basis. Map them into
categories first. Internally, you may have staff,
volunteers, members and perhaps athletes/
players, coaches and technical officials.
Closely associated but external are likely tobe your suppliers and commercial sponsors
or other funding bodies, and possibly owners/
managers of venues, training facilities andcolleges, and sports industry professional
bodies. Consider, too, your sport’s followers
in the general public and the media. The final
layer will be all the other external non-sporting
entities you either deal with or potentially affectthrough your activities: public agencies,
NGOs and other civil society organisations
and local communities.

26

Each of these different groups will havean interest in your emerging sustainability
programme, albeit from different perspectives.
Many will be willing to contribute ideas andexpertise; others will want to know how it
might affect them and what changes could
occur to existing arrangements. The important
thing to do is to inform them about your plans
and invite feedback. This should be tailoredaccording to whether they are internal,
external but sport-related, or external andnot sport-related.
Practical ways of gaining stakeholder input
may include:• one-on-one meetings;• group briefings and discussions;• structured surveys and questionnaires;• sending out draft policies/strategies
for comment; and• establishing specialist working groups.
Stakeholder engagement is a vital part ofsustainability, while sustainability is a great
topic around which people can come together
and discuss ideas. This needs to be done ona regular basis to achieve the best outcomes
and to build and maintain positive relationships.
One-off interactions are not particularly usefuland can lead to unfulfilled expectations, unlessthere is a very clear, singular purpose.

ESSENTIAL STEPSGiven the high profile of larger sports bodies
and certain sports events, there is a riskthat some external groups will try to leverage
this for their own campaign purposes, or they
may simply have unrealistic expectations.
It is rather like the old adage: “you cannot
please everyone”.
The best way to mitigate such risks is tohave a broad-based approach to engagement
so that you are less exposed to individual
groups or campaigns. Building positive
relations with credible organisations andindividuals across a range of interests will
be a good buffer for instances when you
encounter a particularly challenging or
hostile situation.
Stakeholder engagement is also channelled
through your communications and reporting
activities, although when dealing withsustainability matters, this requires somespecial considerations (see Chapter 5).

DETERMINE WHICH ISSUESMATTER MOST
One of the most important things to do is
to figure out which aspects of sustainability
you need to prioritise. It is easy to say thateverything is important, and of course that istrue. But there are always some topics, orissues, that are particularly important for you
to address as a priority, while others may beinteresting and worthy, but not directly relevant
to what you do. For example, if yours is a purely

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALS

indoor sport using existing facilities, you areprobably not going to be impacting directly on
natural habitats and biodiversity. But you may
be concerned about indoor air quality and other
health and wellbeing issues for people using
a building – such as being affected by typesof paints, varnishes and solvents used, airconditioning and heating systems.
Determining priority issues is what is referred
to as a “materiality” assessment. Ideally, thisshould have three angles. The first is to selectissues that you consider important for achieving
your sporting and/or organisational goals. For
example, a strong focus on nature protection
would be advisable if your sport depends on
the natural environment, whereas an indoor/
office-based organisation may prioritise working
conditions and travel-related aspects.
The second angle is to identify if there are any
particular sustainability-related risks that yoursport and/or organisation faces. These
could range from climate change impacts
to dealing with local community concerns
about litter, noise or disruption caused byevents; or they might be risks related toworking conditions, or illegal products inthe supply chain.
The third angle is to seek views from yourstakeholders. Devise a survey or questionnairethat asks them (or a good sample of them)which aspects of sustainability related towhat you do as an organisation they think
are most important.

IDENTIFY IF THERE ARE ANY PARTICULARSUSTAINABILITY-RELATED RISKS THAT YOURSPORT AND/OR ORGANISATION FACES
27

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSESSENTIAL STEPSThe questionnaire can be pre-populated witha wide range of sustainability topics. You cancompile this list by researching other publishedsustainability plans (for example from yourcity or region, or other sports bodies); or
for something more global, you could checkagainst some or all of the 169 targets
associated with the 17 SDGs.
Stakeholder responses will be from theirown perspectives and not necessarily
match what you think matters most to yourorganisation. What this does do, however,is to give you a strong insight into how othergroups inside and outside your organisation
perceive what you do and how it affects them.
From these three angles, you will now have along list of issues that you need to filter down
to a manageable list of priority issues.
There will be an element of judgement here,
but importantly, by having done the exercise
to canvass opinions from stakeholders andexamine your own objectives, activities and risks,
you will have all the information necessary to
make an informed choice of which issues
to prioritise.
Ultimately, there is no absolute right or wrong
answer. This is about being confident that you
have identified issues that are most relevant toyour context and being comfortable that you areable to justify these choices.

Define scope
It is quite easy to fall into the trap of wanting
to do too much across a broad range of
topics. Every issue can seem important, butwhen examined more closely, some will be
particularly relevant because they relate toyour main areas of impact. Other issues,
while important to some people, may notreally impinge on what you do, or be affectedby your activities. To focus effort on thesecan be distracting from your main purpose.
This is why it is good to be clear on the scopeof your sustainability programme, both in termsof what you are going to focus on and to be able
to justify what you are not going to do.
Determining the scope of your sustainability
programme should ultimately be about things
where you have either direct control or strong
influence. For example, technical specifications
for sports equipment and fields of play, goods
and services you procure, events you own and/or
manage, the selection of venues and choice ofpartners are essentially matters where you havestrong control and could therefore make informed
choices taking into account sustainability factors.
In other situations, your organisation may
be participating in someone else’s event,or perhaps you are reliant on third parties(for example, public authorities or venue owners)
to deliver something that affects your activities.
In these cases you do not have control, anddepending upon the amount of influence you canexert, it may be best to exclude certain items
from the scope of your sustainability programme.

DETERMINING THE SCOPE OF YOURSUSTAINABILITY PROGRAMME SHOULDULTIMATELY BE ABOUT THINGS WHERE
YOU HAVE EITHER DIRECT CONTROL ORSTRONG INFLUENCE
28

ESSENTIAL STEPSSUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALS

Case study
Say you are an IF of a sport played in indoor
arenas and you have selected indoor air
quality as a priority issue for your federation’ssustainability programme. However, you do not
own any venues, so where do you draw the line
between what is in scope and what isout of scope?
In this case, let’s say you have the ability
to decide on venues for your world
championships and other major events
promoted by your organisation. Here, youhave the opportunity to select only venues
that meet your indoor air quality criteria, oryou agree to host events at venues that fall
below the threshold for air quality, but which
are committed to working with you to improve

SET OBJECTIVES AND TARGETS
Having defined the scope, the next step should
be to establish some objectives and targets inthe form of an action plan.
An objective is something that you plan to do or
achieve. It should be relevant to your vision andpurpose and related to the priority themes you
have identified.
Example objectives:• To reduce water consumption.
• To be more open with stakeholders.

standards in time for your event(and maintain them thereafter in thelegacy phase).
The scope of your sustainability programme
would therefore include venues where theIF’s events are held. You could not include
all venues where your sport is practised,because for the majority of them you do nothave any say in how they are managed inthis regard. You may choose to produce
guidance for clubs and venues generallywith a view to influencing the raising ofstandards, but this would not be a formalpart of your programme, as you would haveno control over whether anyone heeded
your guidance.

The first example target above is a quantitative
measure, which you might exceed or not quite
reach, but you should have some measureof how well you did in relation to the target.
The second one is of a yes/no kind; you publish
a report or you don’t: you can’t “nearly”
produce a report.
Targets are important because people liketo see tangible things that you are working
towards. However, these need to be realistic.
If you pitch too high you risk falling short, andconversely, targets that are too easy will failthe credibility test. To get the balance right, it
is worth testing draft targets with a sample ofdifferent stakeholders to gauge their reaction.

Targets are specific measures against an
objective. For example:• Achieve 20 per cent annual reduction inwater consumption against a baseline value.

• Publish an annual sustainability report.
29

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSESSENTIAL STEPSEVALUATE PROGRESS
Sustainability is a continual process. There isno fixed end point, but of course objectives andtargets can be reviewed periodically to see ifthey need adjusting. An organisation may havea strategy for a 10- or 15-year period, or evenlonger. This would be broken down into shortertarget periods of say three, four or five years.
Whichever way you structure your action
plan, there should be regular reviews (at least
annually, sometimes more often if there aremany time-critical actions) and these should
involve top management, so that yourleadership team is fully engaged and aware of
progress. At the end of each target period, you
should carry out a detailed review of the whole
programme to see if it is still aligned with yourobjectives, or whether some strategic
redirection is necessary.
In many cases, it may not initially be obvious
what constitutes “good”, or there may not
be any previous or comparable information
to judge against. In these situations,
measurements should be aiming to establish
baselines for the activities being measured(environmental, social and economic), so thatin future periods you can track progress relative
to these baselines.
It is important to ensure that your baseline
data are representative of normal practice.
If, for example, your organisation has a cyclicalscaling up and down of activity around key
sporting events (such as regional games or
Olympic Games), a single year’s data may
be atypical. Therefore, be sure to set yourbaselines to reflect the most appropriate
recording periods.
Monitoring is about checking that you areon track towards meeting your targets. Hereyou can set what are called key performanceindicators (KPIs). If, say, your target is a 20 per
cent water reduction in a year, your KPI could
be the amount of water reduction achieved
within six months. If the figures show you havemanaged only five per cent after six months,
you can see you are falling behind on yourtarget. In that case, you could decide
to implement more water conservation
measures to get back on track, or identify thefactors preventing you from meeting the targetand decide if the target needs recalibrating.

SUSTAINABILITY IS A CONTINUAL PROCESS.
THERE IS NO FIXED END POINT, BUT OF
COURSE OBJECTIVES AND TARGETS CAN
BE REVIEWED PERIODICALLY TO SEE IF
THEY NEED ADJUSTING30

ESSENTIAL STEPSSUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALS

It is not always practical to have KPIs forevery target; some are either done or not
done. However, you can set deadlines, so
if something is over time that should flag up
a warning.

the need to demonstrate some real results
is an incentive for measuring progress andkeeping records, which in turn can encourage
you to improve further over the nextreporting cycle.

Many organisations miss targets for various
reasons. The critical thing is to learn why, andto be able to remedy things accordingly. The
worst thing is to give up or pretend it does notmatter. Stakeholders can be very forgiving if
they believe an organisation has been sincerely
trying and is clearly learning how to improve.
Where you get criticised is for underperforming
without good reason and not being open about
the challenges.

As with any form of communication, it isimportant to decide what you want tocommunicate, to whom, and through whichchannels and media. At the simplest level, it
may be a matter of signage, posters, notices
on bulletin boards, updates on your website,
articles in newsletters or a mention in yourorganisation’s annual report.

REPORT, COMMUNICATE AND
SHARE KNOWLEDGE
The final key step is “telling the story”.
Having invested time, effort and resourcesin sustainability actions, it makes sense to let
people know what you have done and what
you have learnt along the way.
Sustainability reporting is a good discipline;

The next level up would be to take a moreproactive approach to briefing the media
and seeking opportunities to present yoursustainability programme at seminars andconferences, and to develop an online andsocial media presence.
At the top end of the scale, some organisations
produce formal sustainability reports following
recognised international guidelines, such as
the UN Global Compact, or the Global
Report Initiative.

THE FINAL KEY STEP IS “TELLING THE
STORY”. HAVING INVESTED TIME, EFFORTAND RESOURCES INTO SUSTAINABILITYACTIONS, LET PEOPLE KNOW WHAT YOU
HAVE DONE AND WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNTALONG THE WAY
31

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALS

5

STEPPING UP A LEVELSTEPPING UP
A LEVEL32

STEPPING UP A LEVELSUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSSTEPPING UP A LEVELAll sports organisations will be at different levelsof the sustainability process; many will be justbeginning, or thinking about it; others will be
more advanced but not in a fully structured andstrategic way; and some will be fully engaged
and leading the way. It is useful, therefore, toconsider where you fit on this scale.

MATURITY MATRIXThe table below is what is known as a maturity
matrix. It shows what might be expected at
Activity

Vision(and strategy)

Basic level

three stages – basic, intermediate andadvanced – along the path from complete
beginner to leader in the field. These are nothard-and-fast levels. In reality, there will bea continuum from bottom to top, and someorganisations may be at a basic level in someareas and more advanced in others. However,for the sake of simplicity, this table gives asnapshot of the three levels, to provide some
guidance on where you might fit and what
you need to consider in order to move on
to a higher level.

Intermediate level

Recognition that
Sustainability included
sustainability isin corporate plans forimportant for thethe organisation.
organisation to develop.

Advanced level

Fully developed strategic sustainability
vision consistent with the overall
organisation’s vision.

Policy andgovernance

Leadershipcommitment to adopt
a sustainability
programme.

Sustainability policy in place
and lead person/department
for sustainability identified.

Sustainability policy in place and clear
responsibilities and accountability forsustainability across the organisation.

Stakeholder
engagement

Initial soundings withselected key partners
and staff.

Structured approach tosampling stakeholder views.

Regular engagement with all key
stakeholder groups. Feedback used
to inform and refine sustainability plan.

Scope, objectives
and targets

Small-scale activities
undertaken on ad hoc
basis.

Some prioritisation ofsustainability actions and initialdevelopment of an action plan.

Clear definition of scope of sustainability
programme and objectives, and a rangeof quantitative and qualitative targets inplace for each activity.

Measuring andmonitoring

Purely qualitative
assessment ofoutcomes.

Some data-gathering tocomplement general
assessment of progress.

Formal processes in place forcollecting and assessing data relating tosustainability performance, and using
results to refine plans and targets.

Reporting,communicating andsharing knowledge

Basic mention inorganisation’s reports
and communications.

Awareness-raising initiatives
undertaken and initial attempts
to report progress via existing
corporate reporting mechanisms.

Regular and proactive public reporting of
progress on sustainability programme via
a range of communications channels.
Contributing to knowledge-transfer programmes.

Table 2: Sustainability maturity matrix
33

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSSTEPPING UP A LEVELGOVERNANCE AND SUSTAINABILITYMANAGEMENT SYSTEMS APPROACH

Governance describes the process of decisionmaking and how decisions are implemented.
In the world of sport, there have been many
concerns about governance and social issues
in recent times, and it is vital that sports
organisations can demonstrate awarenessof and responsiveness to these challenges.

All organisations have some form of management
system whether or not they formally recognise
it as such. It is how you work and do business.
To allow sustainability its proper potential, it
needs to be integrated into the policies andprocedures of your organisation. This is what
we refer to as a “Sustainability Management
System” (SMS).

The basis for tackling such issues is areaffirmation of core values and principles,such as integrity, transparency, inclusivity andaccountability. Each of these is fundamental
to sustainability.
In organisations committed to addressing
sustainability issues, there should be mechanisms
to ensure that environmental, social, economicand ethical risks and opportunities are properly
factored into the long-term development strategy.
One of the principal means of achieving thisis by making top managers accountable forsustainability performance. Without accountability,
sustainability can become just another short-term
initiative that quickly fades into the background.
It is therefore important to define who within an
organisation is responsible for sustainability issues
at both strategic and operational levels.
This could be a specific board formally
responsible for sustainability, or
ACT
an individual member of theMAINTAIN& IMPROVE
Executive Committee.

The activities listed in the previous maturity
matrix represent the principal elements of an
SMS. Organisations at the advanced levelmay be considered to have a fully functioning
SMS in place.
The advantages of such an approach areconsiderable. Not only is it a more efficient
way of working that can identify and achievesignificant cost savings, both directly andthrough minimising risks, the operation of agood SMS will also help gain traction internallyamong staff and externally among partners
and other stakeholders. This will reinforce thecollective effort that is so important for achieving
progress in sustainability, and will help identify
opportunities and innovative solutions to takethe organisation forward.
Management systems typically follow
a cycle commonly known as “Plan,
Do, Check, Act”, as illustrated
PLAN
here. This approach achieves a
ESTABLISH
balance between the systems
and behavioural aspects ofmanagement. It also treatssustainability management
as an integral part of goodDOmanagement generally, rather
IMPROVE& OPERATE
than as a standalone system.

Larger organisations
CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
may engage an in-housesustainability manager/team.
One of the critical decisions
CHECK
MONITORis where such a manager/& REVIEW
team should be placed within
the organisation. Normally this is a
strategic role, and therefore needs to be
The most appropriate standard
central to how the organisation is planned andfor the sports community is ISO 20121:2012
managed. It should not be a peripheral or isolated Event Sustainability Management Systems
position. Nor should it be within communications
with Guidance for Use (see box on next page).
or marketing, or an individual technical function.
34

STEPPING UP A LEVELSUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSISO 20121: 2012 EVENT SUSTAINABILITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMSWITH GUIDANCE FOR USE
The international standard, ISO 20121:
2012 is a voluntary, certifiable management
system standard for the events sector(i.e. sports but also cultural, political andbusiness events). It was first developed
as a British Standard (BS 8901: 2009)in association with the sustainability
programme for the London 2012 Olympic
and Paralympic Games. The standard
evolved to international level as ISO 20121
in June 2012, and is a significant legacyof the London Games.
Several major organisations havesuccessfully followed and been
independently certified to the standard
over the subsequent years: the Rio 2016
Organising Committee; COP 21, Paris 2015;
World Expo Milano 2015; IUCN Congressin Hawaii 2016; World Sailing; Ben Ainslie
Racing Americas Cup team; Roland Garros;
Paris 2024 Candidature; and many otherindividual event organisations and venuesof varying sizes. The most recent notable
certification to the standard was the World
Economic Forum in January 2018, for theoperation of its Annual Meeting in Davos,
Switzerland.
As a management system standard, ISO
20121 is about how an organisation goes
about addressing sustainability. It is a toolfor helping organisations to embedsustainability principles and actions into
their corporate policies and procedures.
The standard does not define how muchsustainability one should do, or whatissues to address.
This is an important distinction that isoften miscommunicated, leading to claims
that a given event is highly “sustainable”.
Certification to ISO 20121 means thatthe organising body has an effective
sustainability management system in place,which is really a prerequisite for achieving
one’s sustainability objectives. It is therefore
a means to an end, not the end itself.
By following the requirements of ISO 20121,
an organisation will be able to identify its
material issues, risks and opportunities.
This provides the basis to put in place
relevant processes for planning what todo; implementing a plan; monitoring andevaluating progress; and then feedingback what has been learnt in order torefine and improve future plans.
A key principle of ISO 20121 is continuous
commitment. Sustainability is naturally
an evolving topic, and a well-managed
organisation should always be looking
for ways to improve its performance andminimise risk (just like an athlete or sports
team should be).

35

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSSTEPPING UP A LEVEL

Independent certification
Although not obligatory, it is definitely
worth considering the opportunity to haveyour SMS independently certified. However,this can be an expensive undertaking, so it
is important to be clear why you would do
this. It is possible to follow the processes andtechnical requirements of ISO 20121 without
formal certification. However, working towards
certification as a team is a good way ofengaging people and provides justification
to review existing policies and procedures.
Certification is effectively proof to yourstakeholders that you are taking sustainability
seriously. This is important for public credibility,
which is a valuable commodity for sports
events, sports organisations and venue
operators. It reinforces one’s licenceto operate.

AUDIT READINESS CHECK
Before committing to the formal processof certification audits, it is important toknow that you are ready for this step.
As with all management system standards,
ISO 20121 has a requirement for an internal
audit process. While you need to do thisto be compliant with the standard, it is also
in your best interest, as an internal audit
should flag up any areas of weakness(“non-conformity” in the language of thestandard) and confirm whether you are
sufficiently on track to go for certification.
Large organisations may have an in-houseinternal audit function (usually within the legal
or risk assurance departments) that can fulfil
this task, but normally you would expect
to use an external specialist, possibly in
combination with an in-house staff member.
Internal auditors should not have had direct
involvement in delivering or operating
the SMS.

36

As a simple readiness check, think in termsof what an auditor will seek to know:• What are your sustainability objectives
and targets?

• Why did you choose these particular ones?
• How are you implementing your plans?
• How do you measure their effectiveness?
• What process do you have in place tocorrect things that go wrong?

There are, of course, many other points
they could look into, but if you are able toanswer these essential points well, you
should be in good shape to tackle anything
they ask.

STEPPING UP A LEVEL

Other standards
In addition to ISO 20121, there are otherinternational standards that some sports
organisations may be aware of: for example
ISO 26000:2010 Social Responsibility andISO 20400:2017 Sustainable Procurement.
Both of these are guidance standards, not forcertification, but can be useful to help you along
the path towards more sustainable operations.
Some may even have looked at ISO 14001:2015
Environmental Management Systems with
Guidance for Use. The latter is a broader
industry standard, primarily focused on
environmental matters, and tends to be used
for much larger scale operations than would
be the case for sport.
Beyond the ISO standards, there is a vast arrayof other types of standards and certification
schemes, such as for green buildings (forexample, LEED and BREEAM); product standard
kite marks (for example, for timber, cotton, fishand seafood, jewellery and agricultural products);
and industry- or sector-specific schemes (forexample, GEO certification for golf courses).
A good source of information for many of theseis via ISEAL, the global membership association
for credible sustainability standards.

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSSUSTAINABILITY REPORTING
Formal sustainability reporting is a valuable
tool for establishing credibility in this field.
It does, however, hold a number of challenges.
One of the greatest difficulties can be to obtainreliable, accurate and relevant data. Very often,
organisations develop their sustainability plansand only later decide to produce a formal
report. The problem then can be that theinitial objectives and targets may turn out tobe difficult to measure and quantify, or theymight be difficult to repeat over multiple
reporting cycles.
The best approach – if possible – is toconsider your reporting requirements at thetime you are developing your sustainability
strategy and action plans. By anticipating yourreporting needs upfront, you are more likely
to be able to frame your plans and targets inways that can more readily be measured andevaluated. This is one area where specialist
help can be really valuable.
Reporting should always be factual, so others
can judge your performance. Promoting yourachievements is good for marketing andcommunications (see box on next page).

Independent certification to recognised
standards (not just management systems,
but also more technical or results-based
schemes and product marks) is important
for achieving credibility in this field, and for
managing some of the reputational challenges
faced by sports bodies.

37

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSSTEPPING UP A LEVELREPORTING PRINCIPLES
A good sustainability report should follow the principles set out below. These are drawn
from The Global Reporting G4 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines:

Principles for defining report content

Principles for defining report quality• Stakeholder inclusiveness – Identify your• Balance – The overall presentation of the

stakeholders and explain how you havetaken into account their reasonable 		
expectations and interests.

• Context – Present your performance incontext. The underlying question of 		sustainability reporting is how your 		organisation affects (or plans to affect)
economic, environmental and social 		conditions both within your sector or sport
and at different geographical levels (local,
regional national etc.).

• Materiality – There are many topics that
could be reported, and it is important tofocus on those that may reasonably beconsidered important for reflecting yoursustainability impacts and/or could influence
decisions by stakeholders. Materiality
is the threshold at which aspects become
sufficiently important that they should
be reported.
• Completeness – The report needs to covermaterial aspects and their boundaries suchthat readers can gain a fair appreciationof your significant sustainability impacts
and achievements over the given reporting
period.

38

report should provide an unbiased pictureof both positive and negative aspects toenable a reasonable assessment of yourperformance to be made.

• Comparability – By presenting information
in a consistent manner, you should be able
to assess your performance against 		previous reporting cycles and other similarorganisations or events.

• Accuracy – Information should be 		

sufficiently detailed and factually correct
for readers to assess performance.

• Timeliness – Reporting intervals should bereasonable, and the information contained
should be as up to date as possible.

• Clarity – Information should be accessible
and understandable to those reading thereport. (It is reasonable to expect readers
to have a general understanding of yourorganisation and its context, but try tominimise technical jargon requiring 		
specialist knowledge to understand.)• Reliability – Processes for gathering,collating and analysing information for use
in the report should be capable of being
examined to establish the quality andrelevance of the information. This is an
important part of gaining stakeholder 		confidence in the veracity of your reporting.

STEPPING UP A LEVELSUSTAINABILITY COMMUNICATIONS
It is really important to communicate
effectively about your sustainability programme.
Done well, this can help considerably towards
securing and maintaining public approvaland goodwill.
There is, unfortunately, plenty of publicdisenchantment with the way sport is governedand administered currently. Clearly there
needs to be some strong, positive messages
to acknowledge relevant issues and to showthat they are being addressed. At the sametime, sport can still tap into a large amountof residual goodwill and create inspiring andengaging stories. Sustainability themes can be
powerful elements of proactive communications
and engagement strategies.
However, it must be remembered thatsustainability is a subject that receives plentyof critical scrutiny. Modern history is litteredwith examples of organisations coming underfire for over-claiming or exaggerating theircredentials in this field – often referred toas “greenwash”. That is not a reason to holdback from communicating, just a warning
to be careful that what you do say is relevant,accurate and genuine. Do not just cherry pick

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALS

the good stuff and ignore inconvenient issues.
Informed stakeholders will see through selective
messaging, and ultimately you would lose thebenefit of the good things you have achieved.
There is no entity, be it a company,
organisation, city or government, that has anunblemished sustainability record. Anyone
who claims otherwise is asking for trouble.
What does matter, therefore, is presenting
a sense of honesty, modesty and sincerity.
This means acknowledging that you may not
be experts in sustainability, that you recognise
where you have impacts or issues, and thatyou are committed to doing something toaddress them. You will get credit for explaining
how you are improving, or plan to improve,not for an assertion that everything is fine.
The best sustainability communications
and reports convey a sense of learning,and openly share what challenges wereencountered, what things worked and,most importantly, what did not work. Just
like any great athlete, you get to the top only
by learning from earlier setbacks. The struggle
is the story, rather than a bold list ofachievements. It is so much more human
to convey a sense of journey and discovery,
whether for sport or for sustainability.

THE BEST SUSTAINABILITYCOMMUNICATIONS AND REPORTS
CONVEY A SENSE OF LEARNING,
AND OPENLY SHARE WHATCHALLENGES WERE ENCOUNTERED,WHAT THINGS WORKED AND, MOSTIMPORTANTLY, WHAT DID NOT WORK
39

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSSTEPPING UP A LEVELUSING SPONSORS AND ATHLETES TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability is often a subject of greatinterest to sponsor companies, andthere may be opportunities via theircommunications channels to extend yourmessaging. In some cases, they might haveproducts and services that could directly
contribute to your sustainability programme,or it may be a matter of mutual interest incommunicating about the subject and using
sport as a powerful vehicle to attract interest.
It is important, however, to ensure thatthe sport and sustainability message
remains clear, and that it is not lost in acommercial promotion.
Another tactic is to look for people who
could boost the profile of your campaign as“sustainability ambassadors”. These could
include people from outside sport who havea good public profile in environmental orsocial issues, and who know what they aretalking about. Alternatively, sports bodies
could use their inbuilt advantage to draw
upon athletes to support the cause.

While athletes may not be experts in thefield (although some are), many do care
deeply about sustainability and can articulate
their passion very well. This may be bornefrom their recognition that a healthy
environment is important for their own
wellbeing and athletic performance, or they
may perceive sustainability through social
issues they care about, such as inclusionand gender equality. Additionally, many
athletes – just like their generationalcounterparts outside sport – are increasingly
aware of global issues like climate change
and how this could shape their futures.
Some campaigns use recently retired famous
athletes; others may choose current, or
up-and-coming athletes, or a mix of both.
While the big names can command greater
media attention, younger, contemporary
athletes can bring a freshness and age group
appeal that are more directly relevant andinspiring to young people.

Case study
Kiribati's first-ever Commonwealth Games gold medallist, David Katoatau, has been
named as an Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC) ambassador for climatechange, as he seeks to raise awareness of the issue.

40

STEPPING UP A LEVELKNOWLEDGE-SHARING
AND LEARNING LEGACY
Sustainability should be seen as a sharedendeavour, even between otherwise sporting
rivals or unconnected entities. Think of it as a
global team sport. The goal here is for sport
as a whole to get up to speed on sustainability,
and this can best be achieved by sharing bestpractices and learnings.
There are formal knowledge-sharing
programmes from one Olympic Games
edition to the next, and this also happens
in some other major events. But it is not acommon phenomenon between different
sports or countries. However, there are somany common elements to sustainability,
such as sourcing, carbon footprinting andmanagement systems, that it is a pity for
different people and organisations to keep
reinventing the wheel and following thesame learning curve.

GETTING HELP
Only a few sports bodies will have theresources to justify their own in-housesustainability department. Most organisations
will need to seek some external help andguidance, beyond what you can learn fromSUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALS

written material. In practice, this means three
options: hiring specialist consultants, using
knowledgeable volunteers, or partnering withother organisations for particular initiatives.
The IOC now also offers an enhanced technicalsupport system for all NOCs and IFs and canbe your first port of call.
Consultants are most appropriate when you
have a significant project, such as a major
event, or refurbishing or developing a venue,
and you need specific, professional help.
Clearly, there would be cost implications, butthese may be a necessary part of achieving
the project in a good way.
Volunteers can be really helpful, but it does
depend on whether you have access topeople with the right level of knowledge andexperience, and who are willing and able to
be involved in a meaningful way. For smallorganisations, this is obviously an avenue
worth exploring.
Another possible option is to see if there isavailable expertise among your sponsors,or even among your main suppliers. Other
sports organisations might also be developing
a sustainability programme, and it could be
worth pooling resources and sharing
experience and ideas.

SUSTAINABILITY SHOULD BE SEEN AS A
SHARED ENDEAVOUR, EVEN BETWEENOTHERWISE SPORTING RIVALS OR
UNCONNECTED ENTITIES41

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSSTEPPING UP A LEVEL

Case study
THE IFA AND THE WFDF HAVE JOINED FORCES TO DEVELOPA SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY FOR THEIR EVENTSThe International Fistball Association (IFA) andthe World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) aim
to place sustainable development at the coreof their activities to create positive economic,
social and environmental impacts throughtheir operations and events. The limited
resources of both IFs encouraged them tocollaborate, sharing information and resourceson different topics, including sustainability.
As a result, they have been able to provide
a higher level of support to their National
Federations and Local Organising
Committees.
The WFDF and the IFA began theirsustainability collaboration in 2017with three main initiatives:
1. Committing to sustainability as part oftheir governance: The IFs have included

Teaming up with local NGOs is potentially an
excellent solution, as they can bring expertiseand external credibility to the table. Often,
NGOs and other bodies and experts will bewilling to join in because they like sport and canbe enthused by the challenge and opportunities
of working in collaboration with yourorganisation. Sometimes, however, they may
expect to be paid, and it is wrong to assume
that they can be treated as a free resource.
Remember, too, that external organisations do
not necessarily have the primary motivation for
sport, or your particular sport, and may
have other agendas. These may very well bemutually compatible, but it is important to beclear on the terms of reference at the outset
before developing formal partnerships.

42

content related to sustainability in their
documents and reports, and have addedsustainability-related criteria to the bidding
processes for their events.
2.Providing resources for the development
and implementation of a sustainability
strategy: The WFDF appointed a 		Sustainability Officer to create and 		elaborate the necessary documents
and sustainability tools for both IFs.
3. Conducting sustainability evaluations at
events: The IFs developed a sustainability
assessment template to evaluate various
aspects of their events, including crowd
circulation and transport, energy
and water, waste, site selection and 		construction, noise, food, and othersocial questions.

Most NGOs are specialists in one
discipline, for example nature conservation,
air quality, disability, education, human rights,
etc. Few are working across the board,
so for general sustainability guidance,
you would be better off setting up anadvisory group with a number of different
interests involved.
If you have reached the point of identifying
particular priority themes for your sustainability
programme, this is where a deeper partnershipwith the relevant NGOs (as well as commercial
partners, public agencies and academic
institutions) could be very beneficial. Having
a balance of inputs from different perspectives
is usually stronger than just bilateralarrangements.

STEPPING UP A LEVELSUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSIOC SUPPORTAs part of the implementation of the
IOC Sustainability Strategy, the IOC
now offers an enhanced support system
aimed specifically at the NOCs and IFs.
This support system includes thefollowing actions:• Written Guidance
Education guidelines to help
implementation of sustainable measuresin easy-to-read formats. All written
guidance will be followed up andsupplemented with workshops for NOCs
and IFs, as well as one-to-one support.

FINAL THOUGHTSThe steps and guidance presented so far inthis document should have given you a goodappreciation of the positive value sustainability
initiatives can bring to your organisation andits people, and the contribution this canmake in a challenging world. Implementing
sustainability will mean change, but in a
way that can be hugely motivating andinspiring, as well as bringing practical andtangible benefits.
Hopefully, you will now have a good overall
understanding of how to go about setting up
a sustainability programme. It should be clear thatsustainability requires a holistic approach thattakes account of economic, social and• Knowledge-Sharing and Best Practice
Identifying and sharing best practice,creating knowledge centres and providing
specialist support when required.

• Institutional Meetings

Arranging collaborative meetings andeducational workshops to provide aplatform for those who want to shareexperiences.

• Leveraging Partnerships

Developing and managing partnerships
with global experts and institutions tocollectively deliver sustainable objectives
and contribute to achieving the UN SDGs.

environmental aspects, and needs to be
an integral part of how your organisation operates.
In the appendices, we have provided
an introductory overview to the five focus
areas of the IOC Sustainability Strategy.
More detailed guidance on these topics will
be published separately as part of the“Sustainability Essentials” series.
Of course, that is not the whole story.
Each organisation – NOC, IF, or another typeof sports body – will have its own particular
circumstances and priorities. But we hopethat, by sharing our insights, we will haveencouraged you to look at this critical subject
in a new light, and inspired you to take thenext steps.

SUSTAINABILITY REQUIRES A HOLISTIC APPROACH
THAT TAKES ACCOUNT OF ECONOMIC, SOCIALAND ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS
43

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSAPPENDIX 1: PRACTICAL FOCUS AREAS

6
APPENDICESAPPENDIX 1: Practical focus areas
APPENDIX 2: Sustainable events
APPENDIX 3: Glossary

44

APPENDIX 1: PRACTICAL FOCUS AREASSUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSAPPENDIX 1: PRACTICAL FOCUS AREAS
In this section we look at five topics. These are
the main focus areas of the IOC’s Sustainability
Strategy but interpreted quite broadly, so thatthey are hopefully relevant to as many sports
bodies as possible.

Some themes may appear more environmental,
others more related to people; but regardlessof which topic is being considered, there
will normally be environmental, social andeconomic aspects to take into account.

There is no obligation to follow all of the focus
areas. We believe they offer a good framework
for most sports organisations, but there is noone-size-fits-all approach to sustainability. It istherefore important for your organisation to focus
on the priority topics that are most relevant toyour particular situation.

In each section we explain why the theme isimportant, and we present a brief selectionof actions for you to consider implementing.
These are not complete lists, and nor is there
an expectation that all sports bodies could
implement each recommendation. They areintended as a menu of ideas to give a feel forthe types of things you could do. More detailed
guidance on these themes is being developed.

It is also important to realise that, whichever way
you identify and divide up your priority themes,
they will nearly always have overlaps andconnections. This is perfectly normal andis testament to the integrated and crosscutting
nature of sustainability.

IT IS IMPORTANT FOR YOURORGANISATION TO FOCUS ON
THE PRIORITY TOPICS THAT ARE
MOST RELEVANT TO YOURPARTICULAR SITUATION

45

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSAPPENDIX 1: PRACTICAL FOCUS AREAS

INFRASTRUCTURE
AND NATURAL SITESSport takes place across a vast range ofsettings, from indoor arenas and urban playing
fields to open oceans, mountains and evendeserts. Indeed, wherever sport takes place,there will be some interaction with the naturalenvironment, and very often with local
communities too.
In many sports there is a close connection withnature, either as a backdrop or as part of the
field of play. Even sports that nowadays takeplace in more structured venues often owe their
origins to natural places – e.g. canoe slalom.
Historically, therefore, many sports have aclose affinity with nature and are influenced byenvironmental conditions. Conversely, the movetowards more complex, designed venues hastaken sport from being a benign activity to one
that may cause significant environmental andsocial impacts. It is common for new venue
projects to receive objections from local
communities and/or environmental groups.
Reasons for objection can be many and varied:
perhaps due to fears of disruption and noise,traffic congestion, loss of local amenities ordamage to cultural or natural heritage.

46

New venue development
Most sports venues are developed by private
investors, sports clubs or public authorities.
These may not be connected directly with
NOCs or IFs, but you may well get drawn
into debate and discussion on the issues,and it is important to be aware of these andadvise accordingly.
There are too many cases where sports
venues have been over-engineered or designed
for one-off events without sufficient thought
given to long-term economic and social value.
Therefore, the first key principle for sports venue
development should always be to ensure they
have a viable long-term use. This can usuallymean looking beyond the requirements of asingle sport or sporting event and considering
a range of potential activities (including nonsporting uses) over the venue’s lifespan.
Temporary structures can be a solution
where no permanent development is consideredviable; but these too can be expensive
construction projects in order to meet capacity
and health and safety standards. Therefore, it is
nowadays also recommended (as per the IOC’s
New Norm) to consider alternative, existingvenues for one-off events.

APPENDIX 1: PRACTICAL FOCUS AREAS

This leads to the consideration of refurbishingold venues. Very often these tend to be
wasteful in energy and water use and poorly
accessible, so upgrading can be an opportunity
to enhance their environmental efficiency andsocial value.
All cases will have their individual
circumstances, but when selecting sites
for new sports venues, the following points
should be taken into account:• New sports venues should not be developed 		
within or immediately next to protectednature areas and cultural heritage sites.

• Avoid sites where development could 		
exacerbate flood risk or impact on water 		
catchment.

• Give preference to development on degradedor previously developed sites, so-called 		“brownfield” land.

• Seek locations accessible by public transport.
Having established potential locations for thedevelopment and the type of venue to be built,
there are further important considerations
relating to design standards (see box opposite).

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSSUSTAINABLE DESIGNREQUIREMENTS FOR
SPORTS VENUES
There are many sustainability aspects
to consider in the design of new sports
venues and related infrastructure. Ideally,
projects should conform to internationallyrecognised “green building” and “wellbuilding” standards, or their national
equivalents, but these are not always
applicable to sports venues and can
add cost and complexity. However, as aminimum, new venue design briefs should
specify the following guiding principles:• conservation of the natural environment
and positive impact on biodiversity;• conservation of historic buildings
and other cultural heritage;• conservation of water resources;• minimisation of energy use and of 		greenhouse gas emissions;• minimisation of adverse impacts onland, water, noise and air quality;• use of long-lasting environmentallyand socially responsible materials;• minimisation of waste and maximising
reuse and recycling of materials;• inclusive design;• internal environments that foster
health and wellbeing; and• creation of opportunities to leave apositive legacy for local businesses
and communities.

47

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSAPPENDIX 1: PRACTICAL FOCUS AREAS

Management of existing venues
There is much that can be done to improve
the sustainability of existing sports sites andvenues. Older sports venues can be quite
wasteful in energy and water use, and these
are areas where relatively simple efficiency
measures can offer substantial savings.
Accessibility provision is also often lacking
in older venues, and this can be harder to fix.
Nevertheless, it is very important thesedays to provide an inclusive and welcoming
environment for everyone; sport reflects modern
society, and venues should not present barriersand exclusion to anyone.
Being a good neighbour is an importantprinciple. Sports venues and events that attract
large crowds need to consider impacts on local
residents and businesses from traffic, noise,lighting, litter and security issues.
If there is spare, unused land, consider
if there are opportunities to allow naturalvegetation to develop, or even establish foodgrowing areas. Where space is limited, it ispossible to vegetate walls and roofs, or simply
erect nesting boxes for birds and bats, andeven rooftop bee hives. These are all simple

48

projects that could involve input from thelocal community.
Land management for sport also presents
sustainability challenges. This includes
protecting watercourses and standing water
bodies from run-off by fertilisers, pesticides,
fuel and oil spillages and foul drainage.
Turfgrass chemicals can also adversely
affect natural vegetation, and on some sites
large numbers of spectators can cause an
ecological impact through trampling.
Mountains are among the most ecologicallyfragile environments and can suffer
disproportionately high impacts from alpine
sporting activities. Not only is there the direct
footprint of ski runs, but the use of fertiliser in
artificial snow-making can potentially impact
natural ecosystems downstream through snowmelt run-off into the head of water catchments.
All of these impacts are avoidable, given
careful planning and management to achieve
the all-important balance between protecting
natural ecosystems and creating excellent
fields of play and an attractive environment
for watching sport.

APPENDIX 1: PRACTICAL FOCUS AREASSUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSSOURCING ANDRESOURCE MANAGEMENT

The purchasing of materials and equipment,
their operational use and eventual disposal
when no longer needed are usually treatedas separate processes. This is the traditional
linear model of buy, use and dispose.
Sustainability is about connecting thesethree aspects to enhance lifetime value
and minimise waste.
In fact, optimising the lifecycle of materials andreducing waste and the management of supply
chain issues can be one of the most effective
ways of addressing sustainability in any
organisation. The starting point is to determine
how you assess value, rather than purely basedecisions on price alone.
You need to be confident in the quality of thegoods or services you are buying, so that you
get what you require. You need to consider if

there are any health and safety issues or otherrisks to take into account, such as potential
reputation risk. It is also worth checking thatyou actually need the goods or services in thefirst place – in the world of sports events inparticular, it is amazing how often things areprocured that are either unnecessary or bought
in too vast quantities, leading to additional cost
and waste.

Key elements of sustainable sourcing
In essence, there are five key questions whensourcing goods and materials:
1. Where does it come from?
2. Who made it?
3. What is it made of?
4. What is it wrapped in?
5. What will happen to it afterwards?

49

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSAPPENDIX 1: PRACTICAL FOCUS AREAS

Where does it come from?

What is it wrapped in?

This is about prioritising locally produced
goods and supporting small businesses.
How are the products transported andfrom how far away?

Packaging is a major issue in terms ofwaste management and resource use.
Aim to minimise packaging wherever possible,
and emphasise the need for recycled andrecyclable materials to be used in packaging
that is required. Suppliers should takeresponsibility for taking back and reusing
or recycling their own packaging, but thisdoes not happen automatically and shouldbe specified in the contract.

Who made it?

The issue here is to ensure that goods havenot been manufactured under exploitative
conditions. What are the working conditionsin the factories where the product was made?
Labour standards are a hugely important issue
these days, and high-profile entities like sports
bodies and sports event organisers can beunder considerable scrutiny from campaign
groups and the media.
What is it made of?

This is about ensuring that products haveminimal impact on human health and theenvironment. It is good to give preference toproducts containing recycled materials andwhich are recyclable. Those containing or
using toxic or polluting substances should be
avoided. Equipment should be efficient in use,
notably with regard to energy, water andconsumables (e.g. paper, ink, lubricants, etc.),
and low noise and vibration.

50

What will happen to it afterwards?

The responsible disposal of goods andmaterials after their initial use is a key concern.
If this is not considered at the beginning(i.e. when specifying requirements in tender
documents), there can be a lot of unexpected
costs in storage and disposal. Can goods
be returned, donated, reused, recycled orotherwise reprocessed into something useful?
By extending the useful life of goods andmaterials beyond their initial use you would
be contributing to the “circular economy”,
a rapidly growing discipline within the worldof sustainability.
What is especially important is that thesekey questions form part of the tenderspecification and evaluation at the beginningof the procurement process. In this way,
you can make more informed choicesthat appreciate “whole life” value rather
than take a limited view on purchase only.

APPENDIX 1: PRACTICAL FOCUS AREAS

Certified products
Voluntary product standards and certification
schemes can be an opportunity to go beyond
minimum industry and regulatory standards,
and develop greater public recognition andconfidence in your organisation’s approachto sustainability. There are many schemes
covering a wide range of environmental, social,
animal welfare, labour standards and otherethical criteria in sectors such as timber andtimber products, food, clothing, minerals andelectronic components. For sports equipment,
there is the Responsible Sport Initiative being
developed by the World Federation of theSporting Goods Industry.
Some product certification schemes arecountry- or region-specific, while others are
more widely available. In some categories,
there may be more than one potential standard
or certification scheme to choose from, andin some cases it is possible to have dual
certification (e.g. some teas and coffees may beboth Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance certified).
Services
For the provision of services involving labour,
the focus should be on:• pay and working conditions; and• health and safety.
In relation to sport, this is particularly relevantin construction (for both permanent venues
and temporary overlay for events), security,transport, catering and cleaning services. For
further details, see the section on Workforce.
Existing suppliers and sponsors
Many sports organisations have long-standing
partnerships with specialist equipment suppliers,
sometimes on a sponsorship or licensing basis.
While there is no suggestion of upsetting thesearrangements, it is good to inform them
about your sustainability policies and to seek
collaborative ways to improve the sustainability

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSof the products and services they provide.
It is also important to be aware of any risks
that might arise if any of your partners are
deficient in sustainability standards.
Whenever any such arrangements reach theirterm, it is good to renegotiate, or retender as
for a normal procurement exercise, including
all your sustainability requirements upfront.
Waste management
Waste is costly and unnecessary, and sport can
produce a lot of it! The largest waste generators
are likely to be venue construction sites andmajor event operations. Usually less in terms ofvolume, but a continual issue is daily waste from
corporate offices and regular sports facilities.
Good practice in waste management is tofollow a basic hierarchy, starting with themost preferable:• Avoid waste wherever possible.
• Seek reuse opportunities for items thatare no longer needed.

• Recycle what cannot be reused.
• Send non-recyclable waste to energy
recovery if available.

• Dispose of residual waste in licensed landfill.
• Never allow illegal dumping and littering.
Much will depend on where you are situated.
Places differ considerably in terms of what items
can be recycled locally and the different disposal
options available. Therefore, check what local
market there is for different types of recycling.
This should also inform your buying strategy– there is no point in specifying a certain
recyclable material if there is no practical meansof recycling it due to a lack of local infrastructure.

51

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSAPPENDIX 1: PRACTICAL FOCUS AREAS

MOBILITY

Travel and transport of people
The sporting world is continually on the move.
Whether for training, competition, meetings orother purposes, most people connected withsport do a lot of travelling. This has much value
in bringing people together, and is one of thegreat social appeals of sport itself.

• For long-distance trips, other measures
may include:• Preferring direct flights• Informing travellers about the carbon footprintof their trips, as an awareness-raising measure• Where practical, use high-speed trains rather
than flights.

At the same time, travel-related carbon
emissions represent one of the main
environmental impacts associated with sport.
While travel will always remain a vital part of theworld of sport, there are several measures that
could be put in place to limit these impacts.

• Increase sharing of vehicles to reduce
number of vehicle journeys.

• Seek opportunities for virtual meetings
rather than always meeting physically.

• Increase use of public transport rather
than personal vehicles.

• Use fuel-efficient, low/zero-emission vehicles.
• For international travel, seek to optimise 		journey plans (e.g. some officials attend 		
multiple meetings/events, which might be 		
better combined into a single trip, rather
than separate out-and-back trips).

• When selecting venues for an event series,

try to optimise travel times of teams/players,
officials and fans.

Travel and transport issues are not exclusively
a matter of carbon emissions. Large-scale
events can often cause significant local traffic
disruption and congestion, which in turn may
lead to air quality issues, as well as disruption
to local communities and businesses. Transport
planning for major events must therefore
consider such impacts, and organisers need towork with public transport departments andlocal authorities to seek effective solutions forminimising impact.
These may include allowing spectators andworkforce to travel to an event only by public
transport (possibly with price of transport
included in event ticketing); encouraging“soft-mode” travel (cycling and walking); andadjusting the timing of the event to avoid peaktravel times. In selecting venues for particular
events, access by public transport should bea major criterion in the selection process.

Case study
Rugby World Cup 2011, New Zealand: a “Fan Trail” in Auckland allowed spectators to walkfrom the city centre to the stadium (about 4km), with entertainment from community groups,
schools and performance artists, and stalls providing local food and drink along the route.

52

APPENDIX 1: PRACTICAL FOCUS AREAS

Moving goods and materials
Another related issue is the impact of freight
movements. Sport involves much specialised
equipment and athletes, and teams often needto transport their kit around the world. Freight
is not limited just to sports equipment; sports
events also require vast quantities of goods
and materials that have to be transported toand from venues, and this can add substantiallyto the carbon footprint.
The impacts of freight are similar to those oftransporting people, just different in scale andthe types of vehicles used. Logistics managers
therefore need to consider the environmental
impacts of different transport modes androutes, and the social and economic impacts
on host communities where large numbersof truck movements in and out of venues
can cause localised disruption, noise andair pollution.

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSIn the case of touring teams and mobile
events, the challenge is to achieve a balanceof optimising what has to be transported
each time and what can be used locally at
the different stages of the tour. What might
be saved on freight could be lost throughwaste from using local materials andequipment on a one-off basis.
This dilemma links closely to resource
management considerations and applying
the principles of the “circular economy” (seeAppendix 1). This is another example of how
sustainability is rarely a single obvious solution
and requires looking at many variables to makean informed choice.

Measures to reduce the impact of freightlogistics for events may include:• location of distribution warehouses to allow 		the best route to venues to minimise impact 		
on communities and optimise travel times;• optimal loading of vehicles to avoid wasted 		
journeys;• operating a “quiet night-time delivery” policy;• selecting freight suppliers that operate 		modern low-emission fleets and compensate
their carbon emissions;• where practical, using rail and river options 		
instead of road transport; and• for overseas freight, favouring sea freight 		over air freight, to significantly reduce 		
carbon emissions.

53

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSAPPENDIX 1: PRACTICAL FOCUS AREAS

Sustainable tourism
Sport-related travel constitutes an importantpart of the wider tourism industry. While mostcountries and regions welcome tourism, it doesbring with it a number of sustainability issues
and impacts that can adversely affect hostdestinations and communities. These go wellbeyond the carbon emissions from longdistance travel mentioned above and includesensitivity to local culture and customs,
protecting natural heritage and supporting the
local economy.
The United Nations define sustainable tourism
as: “causing as little impact as possible on adestination’s social and natural environment,
and fulfilling local economic needs while
maintaining cultural integrity”.
Sports organisations and event organisers canplay an important role in this area by helping toraise awareness of sustainable tourism
principles and specific considerations in hostdestinations where sports events and related
activities are being held.

Specific actions to be considered include:• Collaborate with local tourism authorities to 		
identify potential risks and opportunities 		linked to sports tourism in their area – 		whether for one-off events, or regular sports
tourism activities.

• Include information on responsible tourism 		practices relevant to the destination(s) in 		question alongside any promotional material
provided to touring clubs, teams and 		
individuals, spectators and other groups 		
travelling on sport-related matters.

• Ensure that your organisation’s activities do 		not contribute to, or condone, any 			exploitation of indigenous communities and 		other vulnerable people, or protected and 		endangered plant and animal species.

• Choose tourism operators and hotels with 		environmental policies and community 		
projects in place.

The United Nations World Tourist Organisation(UNWTO) and the World Committee on Tourism
Ethics provide guidelines on how to become amore responsible traveller. Their top “Tips for a
Responsible Traveller” (2017) brochure can be
downloaded in English, Spanish, French,
Russian, Chinese and Arabic.

54

APPENDIX 1: PRACTICAL FOCUS AREASSUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSWORKFORCE

Sport and the Olympic Movement are above
all about people and the physical, mental
and societal health and wellbeing developed
through participating and engaging in sport.
The benefits of sport to public healthand social cohesion are incalculable.
There are also many people whose working
lives are linked to sport, and countless others
who devote a large part of their leisure time tovolunteering for sport. Their working conditions,health and wellbeing, and opportunities for
personal development and learning new skills
are really important.
The same duty of care also applies totemporary casual workers and volunteers,construction workers building sports
infrastructure and those working for suppliers
providing goods and services to sports bodies
and for events. People should not have theirlives or health put at risk because of their work;
they should not be subject to discrimination,
forced labour or any other abusive practices.
The sports sector should be a standard-bearer

for fair, safe, healthy and non-discriminatory
working environments. It should promote
accessibility to training and education andencourage a positive work-home life balance.
In particular, we believe it is important for all
Olympic Movement organisations to ensure
decent working conditions and to respecthuman rights both for their direct workforce
and for those working across the value chains
upon which we all depend.
By the term “decent work”, we agreewith the definition of the International Labour
Organisation (ILO), which sums up the
aspirations of people in their working lives.
It involves opportunities for work that is
productive and delivers a fair income;security in the workplace and social protection
for families; better prospects for personal
development and social integration; freedom
for people to express their concerns, organiseand participate in the decisions that affect theirlives; and equality of opportunity and treatment
for all women and men.

55

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSAPPENDIX 1: PRACTICAL FOCUS AREAS

In terms of human rights, we refer Olympic
Movement organisations to the United Nations
Guiding Principles on Business and Human
Rights (UNGP), which outline the humanrights responsibilities of businesses, as well
as references to anti-corruption standards.
The Guiding Principles explain how commercial
enterprises should assess human rights risks;
take effective steps to avoid human rights
problems; and ensure a remedy for abuses
that occur in spite of those efforts. We haveincorporated the application of these principles
into the Host City Contracts for future
Organising Committees of the Olympic Gamesand in the standard contractual agreementswith our suppliers; and by extension, we believethat they are an important reference for othersports organisations.
Beyond purely workforce issues, sports
organisations can play a valuable role in thedevelopment of inclusive and prosperous
local communities, and can support efforts toincrease social mobility through education andpromoting leadership opportunities for womenand young people.

Possible measures to implement• Establish a working culture that is: non-		
discriminatory; provides equal opportunities
for women and men; and reflects the diversityof the community where you are based.

• Provide access to guidance and training for 		
staff on gender equality, disability awareness,healthy living, etc.

• Be vigilant about health and safety standards

for all those working on your behalf – your 		
staff and also those in your supply chain, 		
especially working in construction and 		
hospitality.

• Provide incentives for staff/volunteers to travel
to work by public transport, bike or on foot, 		
carpooling and ride-share schemes.

• When providing food, ensure there are healthymenu options, and increase the proportionof non-meat dishes.

• Encourage staff and volunteers to exercise 		regularly and participate in sport or other 		
forms of active living.

• Consider how work experience in your 		organisation or event could help develop skills
and education levels, especially for young 		
professionals.

• Integrate sustainability into the performance 		
objectives of directors and senior managers.

56

APPENDIX 1: PRACTICAL FOCUS AREASSUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSCLIMATE

There is no more pressing issue in the world
today than climate change. Many low-lying
countries and small island states face existential
threats from rising sea levels and major
flooding. In contrast, other countries are
suffering from increasing desertification andprolonged droughts, leading to acute shortagesof food and water for crop irrigation anddrinking. In turn these impacts exacerbate
poverty, hunger and inequalities amongpeoples, which can lead to displacement,
migration of refugees and even conflicts.
In the face of such elemental challenges, thesports community may feel helpless. It is also
being impacted directly: alpine winter sports
are increasingly vulnerable to erratic or evenno snowfall, while extremes of heat and lackof rainfall can lead to the loss of turf-based
playing surfaces; and the increasing frequencyof violent, tropical storms can destroy buildings
and infrastructure.
Nature does not discriminate, but the impactsof climate change are most severely felt bypoorer countries and communities. Althoughin physical terms it is an environmental
phenomenon, climate change has massive
socio-economic consequences, and istherefore clearly a major sustainability theme.

What is climate change?
Climate change is a large-scale, long-term shift
in the planet's weather patterns and averagetemperatures. Throughout geological history
there have been tropical periods and ice ages,
so climate change has been a continual, but
usually gradual feature for all of time on earth.
Since the last ice age, which ended about
11,000 years ago, Earth’s climate has been
relatively stable at about 14 °C. However,in recent years, the average temperature
has been increasing. Compared with climatechange patterns throughout Earth’s history,
the rate of temperature rise since the Industrial
Revolution is extremely high.
There is global scientific consensus that thesemodern temperature rises derive in large partfrom human activities, notably the burning offossil fuels (coal, oil and gas), which emit
so-called ”greenhouse gases” (carbon dioxide,
methane and nitrous oxide in particular), as wellas the destruction of rain forests and othernatural vegetation that serve as carbon
reservoirs, or “sinks”.

57

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSAPPENDIX 1: PRACTICAL FOCUS AREAS

International protocols (see box on the Paris
Agreement) aim to curb greenhouse gas
emissions in order to limit global temperaturerises. This is why there is so much emphasis
from governments, cities and corporations
on cutting carbon emissions and developing
clean technologies.

The effects of climate change are notsimply warmer temperatures; in fact, a better
term would be “climate chaos”, as this would
reflect the increasingly unpredictable andextreme nature of weather events being
experienced in recent times – floods,
storms, droughts, heatwaves, extended
winter freezes, etc.

PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT
Concluded in December 2015 at the COP
21 Summit*, the Paris Climate Agreement
is the world’s first comprehensive
climate agreement. It came into force on
4 November 2016. It deals with measures
to limit greenhouse gas emissions; mitigate
and adapt to the impacts of climate change;and establish new financing mechanisms,
starting in 2020.
The central aim of the Paris Agreement
is to hold the increase in global averagetemperature to well below 2oC above
pre-industrial levels, and to pursue efforts
to limit the temperature increase to 1.5oC.
This would significantly reduce the risks andimpacts of climate change.

Recognising, however, that impacts ofclimate change are already occurringand cannot be reversed instantly, the Paris
Agreement also prioritises increasing theability to adapt to the adverse impacts ofclimate change and foster climate resilience,as well as reduce greenhouse gas
emissions. Emphasis is given to the need toincrease adaptation support to parties mostvulnerable to the impacts of climate change,
including Least Developed Countries andSmall Island Developing States.
As of November 2017, 194 states and theEuropean Union had signed the Agreement,
while 169 states and the EU, representing
87 per cent of global greenhouse gas
emissions, have ratified or acceded to
the Agreement.

*COP 21: This was the 21st United Nations Climate Change Conference, literally the “Conventionof Parties” to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The IOC participatedin COP 21, and in particular in the Climate Summit for Local Leaders (one of a number ofcomplementary events taking place in parallel as part of the COP 21), where the IOC President,
Thomas Bach, addressed an audience of over 1,000 city mayors on the theme of how the
Olympic Games can be a catalyst for sustainable development of cities.

58

APPENDIX 1: PRACTICAL FOCUS AREASSUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALS

Measuring carbon emissions
If resources permit, it is good to calculate
your organisation’s carbon footprint (orinventory of greenhouse gas emissions).
This is a technical exercise requiring specialist
help and may not be practical for all situations.
Where it is feasible, a carbon footprint
calculation is useful in providing a baselineof your starting point, and will help identify
in a more quantitative way priority areas onwhich to focus emission reduction efforts.

• Travel: flights taken by teams and officials, 		Even without this basis, there is enough intuitive
sense of where most emissions are likely to beoccurring to allow simple measures to be put
in place as indicated in the five areas that follow
and other thematic sections in this guide.
Of course, without any quantitative measures
you will lack a means of tracking progress,
which in turn reduces your ability tocommunicate what you have done.

• Ensure existing venues and offices have an 		
up-to-date energy-saving plan.
• Specify energy efficiency requirements for newvenues (see the section on Infrastructure and 		
Natural Sites).

However, even without doing the carbon
calculations, it should be possible to record thesteps you have taken in a way that would allow
for others in future to calculate the carbon
savings if required. For example, you could
monitor year-on-year changes in travel budget,or the number/distance of flights, car and rail
journeys taken. Accurate purchase records ofmaterials and equipment can also be very
informative for assessing carbon impacts.
Reducing carbon impacts of sport
It is useful to think in terms of which
activities related to sport can cause the mostgreenhouse gas emissions, either directly
or indirectly, and what measures can be
implemented to avoid or reduce these impacts.
Technically, this is referred to as carbon
mitigation. Typically, these will include:

ground transport including official cars and 		
buses, and shipping freight.
• Implement a sustainable travel policy(see the section on Mobility).
• Assess alternative means of moving goods
and equipment to lower carbon impact of 		
freight (see the section on Mobility).

• Energy consumption: heating, cooling andpower used at sports venues and in sports 		
organisations’ offices.

• Materials: e.g. timber for venue and overlay

construction, or cotton for clothing or all 		fossil-fuel based materials, such as plastics 		
(depending on where these are sourced
from, there can be significant environmental 		impacts, which include increased greenhousegas emissions).
• Venue designs and fit-out specification should
stipulate “low-carbon” materials (see the 		section on Infrastructure and Natural Sites).
• Give preference to certified products(see the section on Sourcing and Resource 		Management).

• Food and beverage: catering at sports 		

events (agricultural production, especially of 		meat is responsible for significant greenhousegas emissions, which are exacerbated where
tropical forests and other natural lands are 		converted to farmland).
• Introduce menus for staff and/or event cateringthat have a higher proportion of non-meat 		
dishes, and source food labelled as beingfrom environmentally responsible agriculture.
• Minimise food waste through more accurate 		gauging of quantities required and working
with charities to redistribute surplus food.

59

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSAPPENDIX 1: PRACTICAL FOCUS AREAS• Waste: sports events in particular can 		produce large quantities of waste, which
if disposed of in landfills causes additional 		greenhouse gas emissions.
• Follow the waste hierarchy (see the section
on Sourcing and Resource Management).

Compensating for unavoidable carbon
emissions
In pretty well all cases, despite best efforts
to reduce carbon emissions you will have aresidual footprint. If air travel is part of youractivities, you can be sure you will have a
sizeable footprint. This residual footprint is anexpression of your impact in terms of theamount of carbon emitted for a given activity(e.g. an event or your organisation’s annual
operations).
Many organisations seek to compensate forsuch unavoidable impacts by supporting otheractivities that create carbon benefits. Thesemight include using your sporting connections
to inspire others to reduce their carbon
footprints, possibly through making pledges;

60

or you might directly support energy efficiency
or renewable energy schemes, or replanting
projects in your local area. These are all positive
things to do, but it could be difficult to calculate
the amount of compensating benefits realised
unless they are part of some official scheme.
The good thing is that you could be directly
involved in the projects, which can bring wider
benefits in terms of community engagement
and goodwill.
The common alternative is to buy carbon
credits through offsetting schemes. Thesevary in cost per unit of carbon offset, usually
because of different levels of rigour in verifying
the validity of the schemes and ensuring thatthey are providing genuinely additional carbon
benefits. There are many options to choose
from, both on the voluntary market and throughofficial schemes. The latter tend to be more formajor industries, so in the case of sport, mostorganisations and events would probably bebetter off looking at one of the voluntary,privately run schemes.

APPENDIX 1: PRACTICAL FOCUS AREAS

The advantages of using carbon offsets is thatthey are an easy way of mitigating your impacts,
and you receive some form of certification toconfirm the amount of carbon you have offset.
The disadvantage comes in the sense that you
are paying for projects happening somewhere
else, unconnected with your activities, andthere is little incentive for you to reduce youractual impacts. The harshest critics of offsetting
liken it to “conscience money”.
There are several choices to make: to offset
or not? If yes, do you offset your entire carbon
footprint or a proportion of it, and throughwhich scheme? Part of the decision will bebased on how effectively you have been able
to minimise your footprint through reduction
efforts, and also on whether you need toinvest in climate adaptation measures, as
set out opposite.
It is worth considering schemes that provide
wider benefits beyond simply mitigating carbon
emissions. These may focus on biodiversity
conservation, water resource management orother local community benefits, for example.

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALS

If you decide not to offset, do you have asufficiently credible sustainability programmeon other matters to enable you to withstand any
criticisms on your stance against offsetting? It is
not obligatory to be “carbon neutral” or to offset
your emissions, but you need to be confident inyour overall sustainability programme.
Adapting to climate impacts
This is about ensuring that the effects of climatechange are taken into account in your futureplans, whether for sports events, design andoperation of venues, or your offices.
Potential actions can include ensuring that
there is adequate provision of drinking waterand shade for participants, workforce andspectators at events where hot conditions arelikely, and providing basic information for people
about avoiding heat stress (see also the section
on Workforce). In some cases, it may even benecessary to adjust timings of competitions to
avoid periods of extreme heat.
Design of new venues, or refurbishing old sites,
should always factor in climate adaptation
measures, including ventilation, orientation ofbuildings and natural landscaping – vegetation
has an important cooling effect, as well as
aesthetic and ecological benefits. Location of
new venues should also assess potential risks
from flooding and/or forest fires (see also thesection on Infrastructure and Natural Sites).

61

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSAPPENDIX 2: SUSTAINABLE EVENTSAPPENDIX 2: SUSTAINABLE EVENTS
Central to the concept of competitive sport isthe organisation of events. These range in scalefrom small, local meets all the way to the
Olympic Games, via a whole array of regional,
national and international competitions andchampionships. As a rule, the larger the event,the more potential impacts on the environmentand host communities; but at whatever scale,event organisers can take some essential steps
to address sustainability issues.

This is true at whatever scale; and indeed
smaller, locally focused events can be just as
well – if not better – placed to demonstrate
this point than the more amply resourced
larger events.

Competitive events are the shop window for
sport and the lens through which most people
see and perceive sport, whether as remote
spectators via TV and other media, or by being
physically present at the venues. As such,
events are a huge opportunity to use theinspirational power of sport to promote greater
understanding of the role of sport in society
and how it can be a force for social andenvironmental good.

• how to manage the venue to minimise use

The main elements to consider are:• how people are going to travel to the event 		
and access the venue;of resources and other impacts (e.g. energy 		
efficiency measures, waste management
and avoiding spills and leaks that could
cause pollution);• how to use opportunities to demonstrate 		sustainability through food and beverage, 		recycling and communications channels;• how to ensure local communities are 		supportive and not inconvenienced (by litter, 		noise and congestion); and• how to ensure a safe and secure atmosphere

for all (participants, officials, media, workforce
and the public).

Case study
GERMAN OLYMPIC SPORTS CONFEDERATION – GREEN CHAMPIONS 2.0
INTERNET PORTAL FOR SUSTAINABLE SPORTS EVENTSThis web-based tool, in both German and English languages, is for event organisers andother interested parties seeking information about practical actions for planning and delivering
sustainable sports events. These measures can be downloaded as PDF checklists. The tool has
a filter function and various selection criteria to enable users to customise measures according
to the nature of the event in question.

62

APPENDIX 2: SUSTAINABLE EVENTSSUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSSUSTAINABLE EVENTS – TOP TIPS
The following tips were originally developed by the London 2012 Organising Committee
expressly for smaller-scale, individual events such as conferences, seminars, promotional
launches and celebrations, as well as sports events.

AccessResponsible sourcing

Ensure communication methods andphysical access facilities mean everyone iswelcome.

Try to support local businesses and socially
responsible organisations.

Local area

Food and beverage

Look after your local community.
Try to reduce congestion, litter and noise.

Try to showcase local, seasonal produce,and provide vegetarian options and freedrinking water.

Energy and water

Keepsakes

Adopt measures to reduce your energy andwater usage.

Ensure giveaways are useful, reusable
and/or recyclable.

Transport

Make it easy to recycle

Walking, cycling and public transport are
healthier and more sustainable ways totravel to an event.

Try to provide recyclable packaging andprovide recycling and general waste bins.

Reduce and reuse
Buy only what is needed, and hire/reuse
everything else.

Health, safety and security
A safe environment is a happy environment.
Assessing and managing the risks inadvance can help ensure that everyone
can enjoy the event.

[Source: http://learninglegacy.independent.gov.uk/documents/pdfs/sustainability/cp-london-2012sustainability-guidelines-for-corporate-and-public-events.pdf]

63

SUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALSGETTING STARTEDAPPENDIX
3: GLOSSARY

APPENDIX 3: GLOSSARY

64

Term

Meaning

Additionality

Additionality is a determination of whether an action has an effect, when the action is compared toa baseline. This term is commonly used in carbon accounting to express whether a beneficial effectis genuinely the result of your action (i.e. it is additional), or would have happened anyway without
your intervention.

Biodiversity

Biodiversity is defined as the variability among living organisms from all sources, including terrestrial,
marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes
diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems.

Carbonfootprint

A carbon footprint is the total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an individual, event,organisation or product, expressed as tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e). The carbon
dioxide equivalent allows the different greenhouse gases to be compared on a like-for-like basis
relative to one unit of CO 2.

CarbonoffsetA carbon offset is a reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide or greenhouse gases made in order tocompensate for or to offset an emission made elsewhere. Carbon offset schemes allow individuals andcompanies to invest in environmental projects around the world in order to balance out their own carbon
footprints.

CirculareconomyToday’s linear “take, make, dispose” economic model relies on large quantities of cheap, easily accessible
materials and energy, and is one that is reaching its physical limits. A circular economy is restorative andregenerative by design, and aims to keep products, components and materials at their highest utility andvalue at all times. (https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy/overview/concept).

Ecosystems

Ecosystems are the complex system of plant, animal, fungal and microorganism communities and theirassociated non-living environment interacting as an ecological unit. Ecosystems have no fixed boundaries;
instead their parameters are set to the scientific, management or policy question being examined.
Depending upon the purpose of the analysis, a single lake, a water catchment or an entire region could
be considered an ecosystem.

Ecosystem
services

The benefits people obtain from ecosystems. These include provisioning services such as food and water;
regulating services such as flood and disease control; cultural services such as spiritual, recreationaland cultural benefits; and supporting services such as nutrient cycling that maintain the conditions forlife on Earth.

Environmental
stewardship

The responsible use and protection of the natural environment through conservation andsustainable practices.

Global Reporting
Initiative

GRI is an independent international organisation that has pioneered sustainability reporting since 1997.
GRI helps businesses and governments worldwide understand and communicate their impact on criticalsustainability issues such as climate change, human rights, governance and social wellbeing.

Greenhouse gases

Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere are called greenhouse gases. The principal greenhousegases are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N 2O) and fluorinated gases, such ashydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).

APPENDIX 3: GLOSSARYSUSTAINABILITY ESSENTIALS

Term

Meaning

Legacy(in the context ofsports events)

Legacy encompasses all the tangible and intangible long-term benefits for people, cities/
territories and sport arising from the staging of an event.

Materiality
assessment

The term materiality comes from the financial world. Conducting a materiality assessment is an
exercise in stakeholder engagement designed to gather insight on the relative importance of specificenvironmental, social and governance issues. This helps companies determine where to focus theirenergy and resources, and which activities matter most from a sustainability perspective.

Maturity matrix

Maturity matrix is the term given to evaluating the state of development of a particular process orprogramme. At its simplest, it can be just a paper-based checklist; but in whichever form, it is a goodtool for rating the current state of development of your programme, and then repeating the process at
a later date to determine if you have made progress.

Olympic
Movement

The Olympic Movement comprises individuals and organisations guided by the Olympic Charter andled by the International Olympic Committee. These include National Olympic Committees andInternational Sports Federations, as well as athletes.

Overlay

Overlay is a term that is used to describe the temporary elements that are added to more permanentbuildings to enable the operation of major sporting and other events. These elements provide additional
facilities for the duration of an event and are generally of a lightweight construction, as they are often
removed afterwards.

Supply chain

A supply chain is the entire process of making and selling goods, including every stage from the supplyof materials and the manufacture of the goods through to their distribution and sale to customer.

Sustainability

A way of working in accordance with one’s vision and values that ensures decision-making thattakes account of feasibility, while maximising positive benefits and minimising negative impacts
on people, communities and the environment.

Sustainable
Development
Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a universal set of goals, targets and indicators
approved in 2015 that UN member states will be expected to use to frame their agendas andpolitical policies over the period through to 2030.

Sustainablesourcing

Sustainable sourcing is the procurement of products and services with environmental, social andethical issues in mind.

United Nations
Global Compact

The UNGC is a voluntary initiative based on the commitments of chief executive officers to
implement universal sustainability principles and to take steps to support UN Goals. Althoughfocused on businesses, membership is also open to a wide range of non-business organisations
such as NGOs, cities, international institutions and associations.

Water catchment

The area drained by a river and all its tributaries.

Table 3: Glossary of terms
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