The Sustainability Report Podcast

Sport in Africa has huge cultural significance – and every single nation in the vast continent is impacted by significant environmental and social challenges.Sustainable Sport Africa, established by Rachel Aron and Tristan Niesslein, aims to position sport as a medium to address some of these challenges, which, in turn, should make African sports properties more appealing to potential investors.In this episode of the podcast, Aron and Niesslein discuss the launch of the organisation and some of its key objectives.

Football fans are often treated as a problem. But, actually, when it comes to throwing their weight behind large societal issues – such as anti-racism and refugee support – they can be a significant part of the solution.That's according to Jenny Amann and Mark Doidge, doctoral researcher and senior research fellow respectively at the University of Brighton. Their latest piece of research, titled ‘Mobilising Football Fans on Climate Change', explores how this diverse group of people, brought together by the love of the game or a team, can hold the key when it comes to positive behaviour change related to climate.The key is communicating with them effectively. And that's what we discuss in this edition of the podcast.

Calling the Wolverhampton Wanderers sustainability strategy ‘One Pack, One Planet' was always going to be a winner with fans.But beyond the clever branding – and the launch of the strategy during a really successful Green Football Weekend – One Pack, One Planet was built on solid foundations of robust impact assessments, clear communications with club staff and giving departments the agency to develop their own action plans to achieve targets in four main areas: carbon, waste, nature and culture.In this episode of the podcast, Thom Rawson, the project lead, explains the work that went on behind the scenes.

A focus on purpose and sustainability is shifting sports partnerships from traditional transactional deals to deeper, strategic, holistic relationships.That's according to Mya Doelling, the global partnerships manager for the International Olympic Committee (IOC). And in this episode of the podcast, she explains how purposeful partnerships are gaining traction in sport, using the IOC's Climate Action Awards partnership with Airbnb, Deloitte and P&G as cases in point.Together with her colleague Julie Duffus, the IOC's senior sustainability manager, Doelling reveals how more than two years of preparation – which included the mapping of the IOC's sustainability objectives with those of its TOP partners – is starting to culminate with partnerships that work towards authentic and  mutual commitments.

When Lorenzo Sacchetti was asked to embark on a project to increase biodiversity at a motorsports track by his Copenhagen Business School tutor Rikke Albertsen and project manager at the Dansk Automobil Sports Union (DASU), Michella Skov, he was a little surprised.How does nature conservation and motorsport – an unsustainable activity in Lorenzo's mind – fit together?Alongside Albertsen, Skov and his friend and biodiversity expert Matilde Montagna, Sacchetti tried to find out by developing a biodiversity pilot project as one of DASU's tracks – a pilot project that could form the foundation for a wider biodiversity strategy for the organisation.During this episode of the podcast, they all tell the story.

“Part of the feast – not a spectator in it.” Using the words of the renowned Australian environmental philosopher and writer, Val Plumwood, Rebecca Olive reflects on the vulnerability she felt when swimming in the ocean, a few hundred metres away from the shore, with no one close enough to save her if something unexpected occurred.During episode 84 of The Sustainability Report Podcast, the senior research fellow at RMIT University talks about her research, which investigates the relationship between sportspeople like swimmers and surfers with nature, and whether these feelings of connection and vulnerability provide a greater incentive to protect the natural environment.In the second part of the podcast, we check in with Stefan Raimund, science lead at The Ocean Race, to find out more about its expanded science programme for the 2022/23 season.

Forest fires, melting ice caps, extreme storms. It's easy to perceive climate change as an ‘environmental problem', external from the everyday lives of humans, particularly for those of us who live in parts of the world where climate impacts aren't quite so stark yet.But climate change is a human problem, with people's health, jobs, security and recreation impacted.Some people are affected more than others. In general terms, people who are poorer economically, who come from certain ethnic backgrounds and live in certain neighbourhoods or nations feel the negative consequence more keenly than richer counterparts living in more developed nations and regions.That's where climate justice comes into play.In this episode of the podcast, Jessica Murfree, visiting professor at Texas A&M University and academic focusing on the intersection of sport, climate and justice, and Sean McCabe, the climate justice officer for Bohemian Football Club in Ireland, discuss how sport can shine a light on this inequality.Episode #82 talking points:– What climate injustice is and how people experience it– How leagues, clubs and federations can help to bridge inequalities when it comes to the impact of climate change on human beings– Why climate justice should be a key consideration for sports organisations putting together sustainability plans

Support and practical help, or lack of, is often the number one reason for inaction when it comes to sustainability. The will is there, but the fear persists that it won't be done right, leading to a number of negative consequences.In episode #81 of the podcast, we explore the ASAP (As Sustainable As Possible) project, in which three National Olympic Committees (NOCs) with relatively mature approaches to sustainability (Finnish, Danish, German) support three mentee NOCs who want to reach a similar level (Czech, Slovak, Hungarian), with comprehensive sustainability strategies.Jana Janotova (Czech Olympic Committee) and Igor Kovac (Slovak Olympic Committee) reveal what they learned from their respective mentors, while Karoliina Ketola (Finnish Olympic Committee) details her role as a mentor.Episode #81 talking points:– How sports organisations of a similar size and structure can work together to address sustainability challenges– What the six NOCs did to support each other with sustainability strategy creation and early implementation– Why existing tools are an important starting point for strategy work – and why the “wheel doesn't need to be reinvented”

Becoming a sustainability leader has been earmarked as a way to differentiate and attract new fans and partners for emerging sports.In this episode of the podcast, we discover how the sport of floorball is making environmental responsibility a key part of its growth strategy, principally through one of its key events: the Men's World Floorball Championships in Zürich later this year.Daniel Kasser (Zürich 2022 organising committee), Kai Rassmus Landwehr (MyClimate) and Tero Kalsta (International Floorball Federation) talk us through the preparations to make the event climate neutral.Episode #80 talking points:– What the World Championships organising committee and MyClimate are doing to reduce carbon emissions by 56% compared with the 2018 event– How the fans will play their part in this reduction plan through “fun” initiatives– Why the International Floorball Federation believes its sustainability credentials can be leveraged to appeal to new fans and partners

Instigating a large mangrove planting project. Free-diving to collect trash from lakes and ocean. Collecting unwanted table tennis equipment and giving it a new life.These are just some of the endeavours being undertaken by world-class, Olympic-competing athletes who also care strongly about the planet. In an effort to get more athletes to get behind the environmental cause, the IOC has told these stories and paired them with practical advice in its latest guide, ‘How to be a sustainable champion'.In this edition of the podcast, Julie Duffus, the IOC's senior sustainability manager, talks us through it.Episode #79 talking points:– How athletes can speak up for the environment and be a friend to nature– What current athlete sustainability champions are doing to support the cause– Why the guide and athlete advocacy is important for the IOC's overall sustainability plans

Around 80% of Winter Olympic sports and 50% of Summer Olympic sports use carbon fibre in their equipment. Indeed, according to Dan Reading, sport is the industry that uses the third-largest amount of carbon fibre for high performance equipment.The problem is that carbon fibre is very difficult to repurpose when equipment is broken or no longer fit for purpose.But as part of the Carbon Fibre Circular Alliance, Reading has helped to accelerate a method to extract material from unwanted products to be used again in new pieces of equipment. In this podcast, Reading and Carbon Fibre Circular Alliance colleagues Bill Severa and Lourens Blok explain what they've done and how they're taking the project forward.Episode #78 talking points:– Sport's role in accelerating the repurposing of carbon fibre from unwanted or broken equipment– Progress made on the development of a tennis racket produced with 50% recycled carbon fibre– How the technology used to extract and realign the carbon fibre can scale up

Olympic medal-winning racewalker Evan Dunfee started getting politically active around climate change when the Covid-19 pandemic put his competitions on ice. Jules Burnotte, the Canadian biathlete, has been a lover of the natural environment, and politically active to protect it, for as long as he can remember.Two athletes, two experiences. But both intent on using their influence to make a positive environmental impact.In this episode of the podcast, Dunfee and Burnotte detail their unique journeys that have helped them craft their voice.Episode #77 talking points:– How athletes can craft their voice, when to use it and how avoid “missteps”– What Evan and Jules do to balance climate activism and elite sports performance– Why and how sports organisations should support athletes wanting to be more vocal or involved

The Ocean Race is among the most progressive sports events when it comes to environmental sustainability, with its scientific microplastics analysis project from the 2017/18 winning several plaudits, and its Ocean Race Summits convening some of the foremost experts in environmental science and ocean protection.But a World Sailing Trust report in 2019 highlighted room for improvement across the whole sailing industry when it comes to inclusion for women and girls.In this week's episode, Anne-Cécile Turner (The Ocean Race sustainability director), Dee Caffari (World Sailing Trust chair) and Jonquil Hackenberg (The Magenta Project chair), explain how they're working together to foster inclusion, with the ultimate objective of driving gender parity among The Ocean Race sailors by 2030.Episode #76 talking points:– What the World Sailing Trust review revealed about gender discrimination at sea– How The Ocean Race is facilitating inclusion through mentoring, shadowing and rule alterations– Why and how the Magenta Project will build on the research to gain new insights

Diversity of experience and opinion is crucial to effective dialogue and finding solutions.At Global Sports Week in Paris, key actors from the world of motorsport, major events, suppliers, and representing Africa, Europe and the Middle East, explored the question: can major sports events be compatible with sustainable development?The quality of discussion was so good (including the input of the Global Sports Week Young Sports Makers), that we decided to capture the best parts in this week's podcast.Episode #75 talking points:– Cyril Abiteboul on why sport must be forced to innovate in areas that benefit society– Fatma Al Nuaimi explains how the FIFA World Cup is supporting Qatar's 2030 development plans– Georgina Grenon and Nathalie Bellon-Szabo unveil the sustainable Food Vision for the Paris 2024 Athletes Village– Ibrahima Wade on Dakar 2026's sustainability and inclusion policies

All industries need new, fresh ideas, particularly when it comes to balancing out core business objectives and social and environmental impact. Sport is no different.That's why students who spend time and effort producing research that goes some way to addressing this fundamental issue are so important. Karina Mukanovo, a PhD student at the University of Paris-Saclay, is one such individual, and on this week's podcast she explores how major sports events could improve their sustainable impact. Episode #74 talking points:– The role of government, and why it is crucial in facilitating sustainability legacies of sports events– Where sustainable impact ends and greenwashing begins, and how events can avoid this– Why hosting a sports event in two or more nations could increase the chances of a positive legacy

We often talk about sport's cultural significance and its ability to influence a vast number of people, but how can we put this into practice when it comes to sustainable behaviours?For this edition of the podcast, The Sustainability Report sits down with Galen Trail and Brian McCullough to explore their research which applies a traditional sports marketing model to sustainability campaigns and messaging.How can sports organisations segment their fan audience and create sustainability messages that resonate and encourage them to adapt their behaviour? Find out in this episode.Episode #73 talking points:– How sports practitioners can apply marketing models to sustainability to engage fans– What sports organisations need to do to segment their audience to craft the appropriate messaging– Why professionals working in sports marketing should increase their knowledge in this space

A mountain with a smile on its face will potentially go down as one of the most distinctive crests in the world of football.But it's what sits behind the crest that is really remarkable. Vermont Green FC, a fledgling football (soccer) team about to make its debut in the USL League 2, will attempt to redefine what it means to be a football club with purpose, shaping its whole ethos and operations around climate and environmental justice.In this week's podcast, The Sustainability Report sits down with Vermont Green's two co-founders, Matthew Wolff and Keil Corey, to discover what it means to be a climate-justice focused sports property.Episode #72 talking points:– Why the founders decided to build a football club around environmental justice, community and distinctive design– How the club is making climate and environmental education available for all stakeholders– What Vermont Green is doing to walk the talk around net zero and circular merchandise

About a year ago, Kenneth P. Pucker's article in Harvard Business Review suggested that the role of sustainability report was potentially being oversold, and that even though the number of companies disclosing and producing such documents had increased significantly over the last decade, so had carbon emissions.In this week's podcasts, in the company of Rikke Rønholt Albertsen, the co-founder of the Global Goals World Cup and former elite athlete, we explore this gap between sustainability objectives and outputs and actual concrete action and outcomes.Rønholt Albertsen also talks about the need for sport to align more closely with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and how she is working with the Danish Olympic Committee to increase its focus on sustainability and inclusion.Episode #71 talking points:– The gap that exists between sustainability objectives and concrete action – and how to close it– How and why sports should align closer to the UN Sustainable Development Goals– What the Danish Olympic Committee is doing to increase its relevance and influence on society

Green and blue; the two colours most widely associated with environmental sustainability.Attempting to bring them both together are two clubs at the opposite ends of Europe, İstanbul Başakşehir in Turkey and Real Betis in Spain, who are positioning themselves football's representation of the ocean and Earth respectively.In this podcast, we speak with marketing executives from both clubs, Elif Aslı Koç and Rocio Ruiz Berdejo, to find out what this partnership and a focus on environmental sustainability is a key priority.Episode #70 talking points:– How İstanbul Başakşehir, a relatively young club, is building its identity and brand around environmental protection– What Real Betis is doing to bring its players into sustainability activations– Why both clubs want to grow a European football network around the environment

Being a smaller or even medium-sized football club can be testing for all concerned. There's often very little opportunity to challenge for the big honours and so much competition, particularly in European football, that it can be difficult to stand out for prospective fans and partners.In this week's podcast, we sit down with Benedicte Halvorsen (FK Bodo/Glimt), Raphaële Moeremans (Royale Union Saint Gilloise) – both of whom are, incidentally, doing very well on the pitch – and Chris Staudt (FC Wiltz), who explain how and why they have made sustainability a strategic priority to bridge this gap.Episode #69 talking points: – Why FK Bodo/Glimt it attempting to position itself at the centre of sport's sustainability grassroots movement– How FC Wiltz has knitted together a number of important strategic partnerships with environmental protection as the core objective– What Royale Union Saint Gilloise is doing to engage fans (86% of whom believe the club should take more action to address environmental issues)

How do you measure legacy and impact? Is it through quantitative trends, such as participation rates, viewership and economic impact? Or is it through stories of hope, transformation and inspiration?Probably a combination of both, but it's the latter that can really capture the imagination and paints a picture.During episode #68 of The Sustainability Report Podcast Julia Fry, Kester Wilkinson (both Extreme E) and Dr. Matthew Bell (EY) illustrate the impact of the first season of the electric off-road racing series with three amazing stories.Fry recounts the time she was approached by a young girl who had been inspired to get into motorsport by Extreme E's gender-equal format. Wilkinson explains how Extreme E's sustainable transit requirements influenced other organisations to follow suit. And Bell recalls a conversation he had with an individual who was moved to transition into a new profession and use his skills to combat climate change after watching a race.Episode #68 talking points:– Why “deeply uncomfortable questions” posed by EY gave Extreme E a platform to push sustainability boundaries– How Extreme E's team “embraced inconvenience” to reduce the competition's environmental impact– What the racing series plans to do in season two to take its sustainability work a step further

All sports want to grow: participation, fan base, revenue.But is growth for growth's sake ethical on a planet that is facing ecological catastrophe? Should golf courses be developed in the desert? Is it right for indoor snowsport facilities to be built, with all the environmental implications that brings?Those are a few questions that are debated during this edition of the podcast featuring Sport Ecology Group duo, Dr. Madeleine Orr (Loughborough University) and Dr. Walker J. Ross (Florida Southern College).We also explore their latest piece of research, which investigates the climate implications for future editions of the world's most high-profile sporting events: the Olympic Games and the Men's FIFA World Cup.Episode #67 talking points:– How future editions of the Olympics and Men's FIFA World Cup will be affected by climate change – and what organisers can do to mitigate impact– Why sports federations and local organising committees need to work together to create adaptation plans to safeguard athletes, spectators and volunteers– What sport needs to do to balance its desire for growth and need to reduce its environmental impacts

Environmental and social performance has been a growing area of strategic importance for motorsport organisations.While it appears that Formula E has been setting the tone since coming on the scene just under a decade ago, the FIM has had an Environmental Policy in place for almost 30 years and F1 is starting to make inroads, with innovation and technical excellence as its basis for sustainability.A few episodes ago, motorsport engineer and sustainability expert Cristiana Pace joined us to discuss her Sustainable Circuits Index – a rundown of the motorsport tracks with the best credentials in this space. For episode #66, Pace has joined us again to talk through her latest piece of research which explores the sustainability operations of globally-recognised motorsport championships.Joining Pace on the show is Paolo Taticchi, a UCL professor of strategy and sustainability and prominent academic in this field, who helped to define and validate her methodology.Episode #66 talking points:– Why motorsport championships are a good benchmark of where the industry broadly is regarding sustainability– Which motorsport championships scored well for social and environmental performance – and what the difference is between FIA and FIM events– How the data was collected, analysed and presented

If you're looking for a way to engage with climate science – and science in general – in a fun, accessible and unusual way, you could do worse than subscribe to The Poetry of Science Podcast.In each episode, climate scientist and associate professor at Edinburgh University, Sam Illingworth, recites poetry he's written about a particular scientific topic.Illingworth, who is the guest for episode #65 of The Sustainability Report Podcast, explains why poetry is the perfect medium to connect scientists and non-scientists as it breaks down the hierarchy of intellect, gives scientists the opportunity to express emotion and helps to develop a sense of shared vulnerability.He adds that sport could be another good medium in which to create a safe and engaging space for dialogue around climate change.Episode #65 talking points:– Why poetry and games are perfect mediums to facilitate dialogue between scientists and non-scientists– How sport can adopt similar sensibilities to engage people in climate science and climate change solutions– What sports clubs could do to harness personal identity and collaborate with scientists

Just two months ago, The Sustainability Report sat down with rugby players Alena Olsen and Jamie Farndale to talk about why the sport should be at the forefront of sport's climate action movement.Last week, following a year of consultation and development, World Rugby, the sport's global governing body, published its response in the form of a 2030 Environmental Plan.In this edition of the podcast, the federation's chief executive Alan Gilpin walks us through the plan, explaining World Rugby's motivation for creating it and addressing its three key priorities: climate action, circular economy and the natural environment.Gilpin touches on the “ambitious but realistic” goal of reducing World Rugby's carbon impact by 50% across all three scopes without offsetting, and how the organisation will work with event organising committees and other stakeholders to achieve the plan's objectives.

Apathy. The path to least resistance. It's human nature for us to let some things slip through the cracks because of how much we have to process on any given day.While many of us have the intention of adopting more sustainable habits and behaviours, the fact that some don't fit seamlessly into our everyday lives means we stop short at taking the required action.This week's podcast guest, behavioural economist Christina Gravert, spends her time investigating what lies in the gap between intention and action, and how to potentially close it.Hard measures, such as regulations and incentives, may drive people towards behaviour change. But Gravert's research demonstrates that softer ‘nudges' – where people are asked to make decisions in a slightly altered environment – may be just as effective, if not more, if executed well.In this episode, Gravert explains how any organisation can use the technique to support policy, and help people make better decisions for the environment. She explores some of her research, and reflects on how nudging could be adopted in the sports industry, using a stadium setting as an example.Episode #63 talking points:– Why people don't make optimal decisions, and how nudging can support them– How nudging can be used to support sustainable behaviour change in various settings, including sport– What organisations can do to develop a good nudging strategy

In sport, data is everything. We try to measure everything; to improve sporting performance and commercial performance.With its growing importance and interest, it's only natural that the industry wants to do the same with sustainability. But without any real standard benchmarks, measurement and progress is tricky.In this edition of the podcast, we speak with two guests who are trying to rectify this through the creation of indexes with robust and scalable criteria to discover how sustainable sport is, and where the opportunities for improvement lie.Our first guest, Cristiana Pace, a motorsport engineer of more than 25 years and founder of strategic sustainability agency and pending B Corp Enovation, talks about the Sustainable Circuit Index she put together alongside Right Hub, which assessed major motorsport race tracks on their sustainability credentials.Sport and sustainability professional Tim Trefzer joins us for the second half of the podcast to explain how and why he helped create the Sustainable Sport Index 2021 Benchmarking Report, exploring the state of play across US sports venues.Pace and Trefzer discuss:– How they designed their methodologies to gather and analyse sustainability data– Why indexing and benchmarking is crucial for sport to improve its environmental and social performance– What motorsport circuits and sports venues need to do to address sustainability regulations and stakeholder expectations

A number of key actors are playing a starring role in accelerating sport's focus on sustainability and climate issues.But, in terms of being at the forefront for a sustained number of years, very few can match the achievements or commitment of Lew Blaustein.After launching Green Sports Blog almost a decade ago, and shaping it into a must-read publication for anyone interested in sport and the environment, Blaustein now is driving athlete activism and engagement through his recently-established nonprofit, EcoAthletes.In this special edition of the podcast, ahead of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November, Blaustein and I forgo the usual podcast structure and instead kick back and chat about the changes we've seen the sustainability and sport movement over the last few years – especially post-Covid – and some of the key issues.Among other things, we discuss:Sport's role at COP26 – and how it should be taken more seriously by policy-makersThe critical role of mainstream media outlets in normalising sport's climate movement for fansWhat we would do if we were commissioner for a day

Michael E. Porter is one of the most renowned academic thinkers in the field of business strategy. If you've ever studied business (or read publications like Harvard Business Review), you've doubtless come across his thinking and work.Competitive advantage, says Porter, can be derived from two main sources: doing things at lower cost or differentiation.Sustainability has been touted as a form of differentiation – but if every organisation needs to get their environmental house in order to align with emerging policy and public opinion, how can organisations differentiate on these grounds?In his own Harvard Business Review article from 2019, one of this week's guests, Ioannis Ioannou, puts forward the argument that while sustainability can be competitive advantage for some, this will only extend to the organisations going beyond risk management and embedding sustainability in their organisational strategy, leading to new innovation in products and services that provide solutions for consumers and the planet.SailGP is one of the handful of sports properties to have sustainability as a key pillar of its strategy and operations. Its mantra, ‘powered by nature', reflects this. And even though its ambitious net zero carbon strategy (2025) and focus on sustainable development in host cities has won the attention of fans and partners like Tesla, its chief executive Sir Russell Coutts insists that this is not to carve out a competitive advantage – but to be in-step with other leading organisations.In this podcast, Coutts and Fiona Morgan, SailGP's director of purpose and impact, follow up on Ioannou's observations by showcasing their approach to social and environmental leadership, which includes establishing an innovative approach to athlete engagement and competition in the shape of the Impact League.Listen to this episode to discover:– How organisations can adopt a values- and solutions-based approach to sustainability– Why SailGP developed the Impact League alongside its core competition– Whether sustainability leadership can truly create differentiation – or if it should be an aspiration for all

Last year, more than 300 British Olympians and Paralympians put their signature to a letter addressed to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, urging him to steer the country towards a ‘green recovery' amid the Covid-19 pandemic.The letter was coordinated by Champions for Earth, a group of current and former sportspeople determined to make the athlete voice a key driver in the acceleration of the low-carbon transition.Melissa Wilson, one of the guests in this episode, is part of the core Champions for Earth team, coordinating much of its effort to engage and educate athletes to understand and communicate about climate change and other environmental issues.Joining Wilson is Morten Thorsby, a professional footballer for U.C. Sampdoria in Italy and the Norwegian national team. Thorsby is on the cusp of launching We Play Green – an organisation that encourages football players and other sportspeople to engage in climate action.During this episode, Wilson and Thorsby document their journeys, discuss their respective organisations, and explain how athletes can talk authentically about climate and the environment.

Towards the end of 2020, a piece of research was published by Zoomph and Recipric highlighting the growing interest in plant-based diets from sports fans, and suggesting how professional teams could capitalise on this growing trend.When it comes to the plant-based diet and its impact on athlete performance, perhaps nothing has been quite so impactful as The Game Changers – a revealing Netflix documentary showcasing the connection between enhanced physical performance and the eradication of animal-based products.It appears that the growing plant-based revolution is an area of untapped potential for the sports industry in a couple of instances, not to mention its positive impact on the environment.In this week's podcast, we talk with James Wilks, who was behind the documentary, and Roger McClendon, executive director of the Green Sports Alliance.The Green Sports Alliance and Wilks' Game Changers Institute – a recently-established vehicle to generate research about and promote plant-based living – have partnered up, and Wilks and McClendon explain.

Bushfires, extreme heat, drought. Australia, over the past few years, really has felt the wrath of climate change.Indeed, sport has often highlighted the nation's plight to the rest of the world, with high-profile incidents occurring during the Australian Open with regards to players being badly affected by the soaring temperatures and smoke from the bushfires.But it's Australia's thriving recreational sport ecosystem that is bearing the brunt of the problems. Venues that bring people together within communities have been damaged or even destroyed totally by extreme weather.Earlier this year, the state of Victoria engaged the Sports Environment Alliance (SEA) to collaborate on a piece of work designed to provide guidance to venue managers and volunteers at community sports facilities on how they can safeguard these sacred places from the worst of climate change.In this edition of the podcast, the SEA's Dr. Sheila Nguyen and Kirsty Reidy of Sport and Recreation Victoria talk us through the guidance.

Data is absolutely everywhere in sport. The trick is knowing what data is meaningful, how to interpret it, and then putting it into action.Sustainability-related data may not be at the top of the priority list for most sports properties. But a look under the hood may demonstrate that those who continue to think that way could be missing a trick – and leaving a lot of money on the table.In this edition of the podcast, our guests, Kristen Fulmer (Recipric), Nick Cronin (Zoomp) and Chris Pyke (Arc Skoru), explain what sustainability data matters, and how it can help sports organisations achieve other core targets around fan engagement, brand partnerships and operational efficiency.Episode #56 talking points:– Why sustainability data can help sports entities achieve other objectives– How sports organisations can identify the right data to collect– What they can do with that data to grow fan affinity and brand relationships

The reach of the English Premier League is mind-boggling. According to its 2019/20 annual review, 880 million homes in 180 countries have access to live matches.Quite simply, the Premier League is one of the most exciting and high-quality sports leagues in the world, featuring many of the world's best players and coaches duelling it out on a weekly basis.The cultural impact of the clubs and players is immense. You only need to examine the case of young Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford – whose campaign for free school meals for children coming from challenging economic backgrounds changed government policy – to understand the significance of the league and those who take part in that.That's why it's encouraging to see many of the 20 teams start to take climate action and address sustainability in a meaningful way.During this episode, we sit down with Sport Positive founder Claire Poole – the creator of the Premier League Sustainability Table – to discuss her findings, as well as representatives from two of the best-ranked clubs in the table: Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton.Tony Stevens, the head of public relations for the former, explains how Spurs surged to the top of the table by making sustainability core to the club's business, while Tim Greenwell, the chief legal and risk officer for Southampton, talks about the club's new sustainability strategy, The Halo Effect.

Petrol. Noise. Masculinity.If you had to think of a few words to describe motorsport, the above three would probably be close to mind. But, in recent time, competitions such as Formula E and now Extreme E have sought to change that. Climate action and gender equality are now the watchwords. Even F1 has launched its own carbon neutrality roadmap.A handful of teams within those competitions are attempting to push the envelope even further. Veloce Racing and Envision Virgin Racing are among the first two motorsport teams to adopt the UNFCCC's Sports for Climate Action Framework. In this episode, we speak to the leaders of both organisations: Daniel Bailey and Sylvain Filippi.During this podcast, Bailey and Filippi discuss motorsport's changing sensibilities and how they're harnessing their brands to make a positive environmental and societal impact while staying competitive on the track.Episode #54 talking points:– How Formula E and Extreme E (and the teams within them) are moving motorsport towards purpose as well as entertainment– What Veloce Racing is doing to build a culture around technical excellence, environmentalism and gender equality– Why Envision Virgin Racing is positioning itself as a climate change movement more than a sports team– How both teams plan to engage new fans and partners

Finding solutions. That was the name of the game for 2020, and is likely to be our default mode for a reasonable proportion of 2021 as well. With best-laid plans out of the window, we searched for alternatives – and in many cases, we found better ways of doing things.Of course, once the worst of the pandemic is over major sporting events will, by and large, revert to their traditional form. People are yearning to see their heroes compete and enjoy the spectacle with fellow revellers.On the business side of sport, many of those behind the scenes will be itching to get back to the conference circuit to meet new people, generate new business, and make lasting connections.But during our first podcast of 2021, three thought leaders from the sports events sector – Lucien Boyer (Global Sports Week), Lucie Lapierre (EGG Events) and Paul Moore (Atos) – explain what we've learnt over the course of the last 12 months to help us optimise the experience in the future.Podcast guests:Lucien Boyer, co-founder, Global Sports WeekLucie Lapierre, sports project manager, EGG EventsPaul Moore, head of innovation, media market, AtosKey talking points:How the sports event industry has pivoted its business model in light of the Covid-19 pandemicWhy sustainability will become a big revenue driver for sports propertiesAI, and how it is being accelerated to boost fan engagement and operational efficiencyThe growing importance of employee wellbeing in the sports events industry

There are many people in several industries who will feel 2020 was a somewhat wasted year. When it comes to professional development, some may have identified the previous 12 months as a good opportunity to study or complete a course.However, a significant proportion of the population will be feeling pessimistic about the consequence of the pandemic on their job security and industry in general.That's why we've tried extra hard to infuse the last podcast of 2020 with plenty of optimism and guidance, courtesy of Licia Rester and Kirk Souder, the authors of The Soul Purpose Method.During this episode, Rester and Souder discuss their partnership with 17 Sport to create the Soul Purpose Sport Accelerator, designed to connect sports leaders and professionals with an intrinsic sense of purpose. They also explain:The three pillars of The Soul Purpose Method – intention, liberation and co-creationHow sports professionals can unlock their “inner purpose”Why sport is the perfect industry to bring these principles to the masses

It used to be conventional wisdom that when building a career being a specialist in one area was the key to making it to the top. That notion is being challenged, with a broad selection of skills and experiences now highly desirable for prospective employees and entrepreneurs.Our guest for this podcast, Mathieu Muller, demonstrates this perfectly by plotting his education and career that has allowed him to experience strategy, communication, and sports law all before the age of 25.During this episode, Global Sports Week Young Sports Maker Muller, reflects on his current position, as a policy development officer for anti-doping at the French Sports Ministry, and explains:Why education is crucial to combat the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sportHow sports organisations should engage more with environmental issuesWhat current trends he expects to see become mainstream in sport

Handball is one of the most popular team sports in the world, particularly in Central Europe where it is played and watched with a tribal passion. That's not quite the case in the US, but Melissa Zhang, the communications manager for USA Team Handball, is plotting the sport's stateside explosion with its first Olympic medal at the LA 2028 Games the goal.Zhang is also the third of four Global Sports Week Young Sports Makers to share her experiences with the podcast over the last few weeks.During this episode, she charts her journey from studying psychology and political science at UCLA to discovering sports journalism, then carving out a career in communications. Zhang explains:How young sports professionals can express their views confidently with more experienced colleaguesWhy sport is a perfect vehicle for accelerating social and gender equityWhat her strategy is to boost the popularity of handball in the US

Bringing together sport, education and culture. That definition of Olympism, Paulina Fritz says, needs to be highlighted extensively for the true power of sport to shine through.Fritz is the second Global Sports Week Young Sports Maker of four to join us on the podcast, and this notion of exploring culture and learning about sustainable development is a key theme throughout the conversation.Becoming an IOC Young Change Maker at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games – and an IOC Young Leader thereafter – gave her a clear understanding of what sport can do, and what she wants to achieve in the industry.During this episode, Fritz talks about her experiences and explains:Her social business concept focused on sustainable development and basketballWhy it's important to engage young athletes in educational programmesHow sports partners can help to facilitate education and culture

Over the next few weeks, the podcast will shine a spotlight on some of the emerging bright young sports executives and entrepreneurs who will represent their generation as Young Sports Makers at Global Sports Week next year.Kimberly Fernandez, the social entrepreneur from Mumbai, India, is our first guest in this mini-series. Fernandez has been immersed in sport since childhood, and when the time came to embark on a career she wanted to find a role that combined her passions of sport and social justice and inclusion.During this episode, Fernandez charts her unconventional route into the sports industry, and explains how and why she launched a start-up, Zars Sports, which aims to make sport more accessible for young people and provide coaching and sports administration opportunities for women. She discusses:How she established a start-up based on sport and social inclusionWhy providing opportunities for children and women is the company's core missionWhat she hopes to achieve as a Global Sports Week Young Sports Maker

There is a section of German football fans that dislike Bundesliga team TSG Hoffenheim by virtue of the fact that it's owned by billionaire SAP founder Dietmar Hopp. In a nation where fan ownership is a big part of football culture, some supporters believe it signals growing commercialisation of the sport.However, when it comes to sustainability and governance, TSG Hoffenheim is among the pacesetters in European football – perhaps even sport in general.Last year, before the coronavirus pandemic began and subsequent lockdowns stopped fans from attending matches, the club launched a simple but innovative climate ticket, in which spectators could add €1 onto their ticket price to buy a tree for a reforestation project in Uganda.The club has also built its sponsorship offer around social and environmental consciousness, and has established a sustainable clothing brand by investing in African businesses.Stefan Wagner, the sustainability and sports marketing expert, is behind much of this work. In this episode, he talks about his collaboration with the Bundesliga club and reflects on his wider project, Sports For Future, which aims to put sport right at the heart of climate action.During the podcast, Wagner explains:How he supported TSG Hoffenheim with integrated sustainability into its core businessWhy sport is a key industry to accelerate mass decarbonisationWhat his new project – the German government- and FC Bayern Munich-backed Sports 4 Trees – is aiming to achieve

Earlier this month, World Sailing won the first sustainability award established by GAISF (the Global Association of International Sports Federations) for its comprehensive Agenda 2030 Sustainability Strategy.In this week's podcast, Dan Reading, World Sailing's head of sustainability and the man behind the strategy, charts the federation's progress and explains how the plan was developed as well as how it is being executed.Consulting with stakeholders, setting concrete objectives, searching for innovation, and working with partners has been the story of the organisation's success to date, according to Reading. During the episode he explains:How innovation related to electric support boats and alternatives to single-use plastic is accelerating sustainability within the €100bn marine industryWhy partners, suppliers and athletes are crucial to World Sailing achieving its sustainability visionWhat sports organisations can do to make sure their operations and events are environmentally responsible

Despite being one of the smallest international federations – representing a sport very much in its growth phase – the International Sambo Federation (FIAS) has been a sustainability pioneer in sport since 2014.It's testament to the organisation's leadership that, despite its limitated resources, social and environmental responsibility is very much a priority.In this week's edition of the podcast, we talk with the federation's chief executive, Michal Buchel, who charts the combat sport's relationship with sustainability, and explains:Why the FIAS started to focus on sustainability in 2014How it is collaborating with partners, such as oil and gas company Rosneft, to accelerate sustainable changeWhat the objectives of its recently-published 10-year sustainability strategy are

Covid-19 < Climate change < Biodiversity collapse.The cartoon, in which each of the global problems is represented by a tidal wave, each one larger in size and looming over the Earth, will be quite widely-recognised by now. According to the United Nations, the “ecosystems on which we and all other species depend is deteriorating more rapidly than ever”, posing a significant threat to humans and all we find dear. Including sport.Sport has an intrinsic relationship with nature. We play many sports on grass. We cycle and ski in the mountains. We swim and sail in lakes, rivers and seas. Recognising this, the IOC and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) teamed up to develop a number of guides to help the sports industry play its part in biodiversity protection.This week, we sit down with Giulia Carbone, deputy director of the IUCN, to discuss those guides and explore:How sports organisations can plan events and venues to cultivate a net biodiversity gainWhy leagues, clubs and federations should create a natural environment strategyWhat the consequences are for sport if nature collapses further

In 2018, the Philadelphia Eagles NFL franchise became the first regular season sports team to adopt the ISO 20121 sustainable event standard, which was developed for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.On this week's podcast, we sit down with the person who encouraged the 2018 Super Bowl-winning team to take its sustainability credentials to the next level – Lindsay Arell of Honeycomb Strategies in Denver, Colorado.During the episode, Arell charts her sustainability career, from greening the 2008 Democratic Convention ahead of the election of Barack Obama to US president, to helping the Eagles and other sports properties incorporate her ECO – engagement and communication, community, and operations – methodology that shifts the focus to holistic sustainability.Arell explains:Why sports organisations need to start looking beyond the environmental aspects of sustainabilityHow integrating employees from diverse departments can help foster staff engagement and buy-inWhat the ISO 20121 sustainable event management system is – and how it works

Bringing fans back into stadiums and sports venues safely. That is the primary concern for most sports organisations and facility operators.But there's a real concern that many may start to equate single-use products with human health as a result of Covid-19, ripping apart a lot of the good work done pre-pandemic around the phasing out of single-use plastic products like beverage cups.This week's guest, Meegan Jones, has launched “pre-emptive strike” and published a set of guidelines and recommendations proving that reusable products are as safe as single-use products, if venue operators have the correct protocols in place.During the episode, Jones also discusses:How the event industry has changed over the last decade with respect to its sustainability credentialsWhy sporting events will need to become more environmentally responsible under their “social licence to operate”What event professionals can do, practically, to make sure their events are a low impact as possible

Snowsports, of course, are feeling the impact of climate change more keenly than other sports. Some studies have shown that the Alps could lose up to 70% of their yearly snow cover by 2100 – placing huge question marks against the futures of a number of sports.Biathlon is one of those sports. Indeed Europe's Alpine region is the global epicentre of the sport.But, instead of turning a blind eye and accepting its fate, the sport's governing body – the International Biathlon Union – has decided to do everything in its power to make sure it will be part of the solution to climate change and futureproof the pastime. In this week's podcast, Riikka Rakic, the snowsport and sustainability professional and IBU senior project manager, talks us through the federation's newly-unveiled 10-year sustainability strategy, and explains:What international sports federations, particularly snowsports, need to do to make climate action a priorityHow she helped the International Biathlon Union develop a long-term sustainability visionWhy fossil fuel-free events need to be the next big objective for sports organisations

This week we celebrate our 40th podcast with a very special episode, providing expertise and insight from three of sport's most knowledgeable and respected sustainability champions.Instead of the usual interview format, this episode features the recording from a panel at this month's Sport Positive Summit in which Julie Duffus (Olympic Movement sustainability senior manager for the IOC), Omar Mitchell (the NHL's VP of sustainable infrastructure and growth initiatives), and Jonathan Smith (founder and executive director of the GEO Foundation) discuss a topic many in sport are grappling with: data measurement and reporting.During the show, Duffus, Mitchell and Smith go into detail on the what, why and how of data measurement and reporting in sport, including:What data their respective organisations are measuring and reportingHow they are collecting data and presenting it to stakeholdersWhy it's important for forward-thinking sports organisations to collect sustainability data and be transparent about it

Hosting a large conference is a challenge at the best of times. Logistics, marketing, speaker liaison – the list of tasks needed to be fulfilled for an event to run smoothly – let alone be successful – can appear to be overwhelming.Throw a global pandemic into the mix, and the challenge becomes a mountain to climb.That's why the sport and sustainability movement – and sports industry in general – is lucky to have Claire Poole, who battled against the obstacles 2020 threw in her way to host a successful first edition of the Sport Positive Summit earlier this month.The summit was created to be a convener for the signatories to the UNFCCC's Sports for Climate Action Framework, and a learning platform for those sports organisations starting to dip their toes into the world of sustainability.During the episode, Poole talks about her journey putting the summit together and explains:Why sport's collective response to climate change is more important than everHow the sport and sustainability movement has evolved over the past few yearsWhat content and topics were explored at the first summit

There's only a handful of people to have ever lived who can claim to have competed at both a Summer and Winter Olympic Games. Oluseyi Smith is one of them.But even though he excelled as an athlete across multiple disciplines, his retirement from professional sport has brought him to what he believes is his true calling: engineering. Or, more specifically, engineering with a sharp focus on sustainability.However, during this episode of The Sustainability Report Podcast, Smith talks about one of the ‘extracurricular' activities that have allowed him to remain in sport – the role of an IOC Young Leader.As part of his induction, Smith was tasked with conceiving and delivering a project that meshed the worlds of sport and social enterprise and, after seeing so much waste pile up at a grassroots event he attended in his home nation of Canada, he decided that he could take his passion of environmental stewardship into sport.In this episode, Smith explains:Why sustainability has always been a passion for him, throughout his athletic careerWhat role he thinks sport can play in reducing human apathy around climate changeHow he gamified sustainability processes to make it easier for small sports event hosts to adopt