What is Sustainability in a Sporting Context?

Environmental sustainability is of course a key component of sustainability. However, in recent years sports organisations have started to understand that sustainability in a sporting context encompasses a much wider array of social, participation, economic, media and governance-related factors. 

Sport has a unique and complex framework; to some academics and practitioners, one of the most complex sectors of modern society. If you can understand sport and sustainability you can understand sustainability in most sectors.

This complex framework forms the basis of Global Sustainable Sport’s Seven Sustainable Pillars of Sport and was one of the subjects of two major conferences held at the end of 2024. The Mass Participation World (MPW) 2024 conference in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and the UCI Bike City & Mobility Forum in Abu Dhabi, UAE, both explored sustainability through the lens of the seven pillars encompassing Partnerships, Participation, People, Planet, Power, Profile, and Prosperity.

Mass Participation and Sustainability Metrics

At MPW 2024 the theme was “Climbing the Next Mountain” and how to create a more sustainable future for the mass-participation industry. During the connference GSS organised a workshop that split the delegates into seven teams, with each team discussing one of the seven pillars. The discussion was both lively and thought-provoking, and highlighted many of the challenges facing the mass participation industry.

One of the more pressing topics was the challenge of measuring and reporting on the impact of ‘participation’ within a mass participation event. Often, economic and environmental considerations have taken precedence over social outcomes, overshadowing the broader benefits that these events bring to communities, such as physical and mental health, social cohesion, and community engagement.

The discussions highlighted the urgent need for more inclusive metrics to capture these wider benefits: in particular, how cities and governments can accurately quantify the societal value of encouraging citizens to participate in sports events. It was clear from the discussions that a broader understanding is essential if coherent strategies that maximise the impact of mass participation events are to be developed, creating a new commercial model for the sector.

Cycling as a Model for Sustainability

The UCI Bike City & Mobility Forum showcased Abu Dhabi’s ambitious plans to become a leading cycling city. Abu Dhabi’s vision includes a 1,000-kilometre super-cycling highway by 2028, with the centrepiece being a 90-kilometre air-conditioned route called ‘The Loop’. This project aims to encourage year-round cycling by residents, promoting healthier lifestyles and reducing environmental emissions.

Cycling is often seen as an ideal sustainability sport, combining environmental, social, and economic benefits. It serves as a mode of transport, promotes health and well-being, and can significantly reduce emissions. Yet, the sport lacks a robust reporting framework to demonstrate these benefits comprehensively.

Sustainability is clearly of huge interest to the cycling community. This was demonstrated at the forum through GSS’s AI-Data Analytics tool which identified over 40 cycling teams, federations and host cities that have a focus on sustainability. These included the award-winning Beat Cycling Team, and locally based UAE Team Emirates and Abu Dhabi Cycling Team. Like many sports though, this only represents a small fraction of the teams and federations that could adopt more sustainable practices. There is a huge opportunity for cycling to lead the way in this area, supported by the interest from former and current male and female cyclists who were present at the forum like Peter Sagan, Safiya Al Sayegh, Carlos Mario Oquendo, Moroj Adil, Denise Schindler and Samara Sheppard.

Impact Reports: Leading by Example

The importance of a broader sustainability approach was further illustrated at the conferences through impact reports published in the last 12 months by prominent UK sports organisations like the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Arsenal FC, Tottenham Hotspur FC and Liverpool FC.

English Cricket Board (ECB)

The ECB’s Impact Report, produced by The Sports Consultancy in November 2023, outlines cricket’s broader contributions to society. Key areas of focus incorporated improving lives, connecting communities, growing the game, and promoting environmental sustainability. 

Notable findings from the report include:

• Over 1.1 million children engaged through ECB partner programmes;
• A 20% increase in women’s and girls’ teams, driven by a £3m investment in women’s domestic cricket;
• £2.4m allocated to climate change initiatives through the County Grants Fund;
• Commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030.

These efforts highlight the ECB’s recognition of cricket’s social, economic, and environmental impacts. However, challenges were also noted during the workshops – particularly around meeting ambitious emissions reduction targets, a challenge that faces most sports organisations.

Arsenal FC and Tottenham FC

Similarly, Arsenal’s first Economic and Social Impact Report, produced by EY in November 2024, demonstrates the club’s value to the local community in Islington and the broader UK economy. 

Key findings included:

• A Gross Value Added (GVA) of £616m to the UK economy and £425m to Islington;
• Over 1,600 jobs supported in Islington and 4,400 across the UK;
• Significant community engagement through programmes like Coaching for Life and Football for Resilience reaching over 14,000 local residents;
• A Social Return on Investment of £5.50 for every £1 spent, generating £6.1m of social impact from a spend of £1.12m in social impact projects;
• Environmental initiatives such as reusable cup schemes and water refill stations, which reduce single-use plastics.

The report also highlights Arsenal’s efforts to integrate sustainability throughout the club and it to all aspects of its operation.

Tottenham’s Impact Report, which was similarly produced by EY a year before the Arsenal report, also demonstrates the broader impact that the club has on its local community since the move to its new stadium in 2019. Highlights included a GVA of £585m to the UK economy and £344m to its local tri-borough region, supporting 3,700 jobs.

As was noted in the workshops neither reports included any information on their greenhouse gas emissions which sit within both clubs financial reports. It would be great to see all aspects of sustainability, both positive and negative, included in future reports as in the case of the Liverpool FC report.

Liverpool FC

Liverpool’s latest sustainability report, published in April 2024, demonstrates how its ‘Red Way’ programme generated significant impacts for its local community and the club. 

Liverpool, like Tottenham, has been recognised with numerous sustainability awards, but it was the club’s analysis of its greenhouse gas emissions that attracted attention in the workshops. 

Merchandise generated nearly three times more emissions than fan travel, even though merchandise emissions were reduced by 50% from the 2021-22 season to the 2022-23 campaign. Merchandise and the circular economy represent an area that sports organisations need to urgently address if all aspects of sustainability are to be covered through their programmes.

The Need for Standardisation

One of the recurring themes across these reports and discussions was the lack of consistency in sustainability reporting within the sports sector. While the reports published by Arsenal and Tottenham – both produced by EY – share a degree of comparability, reports from other organisations, like the ECB and Liverpool, differ significantly in scope and methodology.

This inconsistency makes it challenging to benchmark progress, identify best practices and quantify the full sustainable impact of the global sports industry. As noted during the workshops, there is an urgent need for a standardised approach to sustainability reporting in sport – one that captures both positive and negative impacts transparently.

As was widely discussed during both conferences sustainability needs to sit at the heart of an organisation as it impacts every department. It needs to be embedded within the DNA of an organisation and not sit on the periphery of an organisation. It needs to be seen as an opportunity not a cost.

Looking Ahead: The Role of GSS

It is encouraging to see that many major sports organisations are now focused on capturing and reporting on the broader impacts their organisations generate. Global Sustainable Sport through its Seven Sustainable Pillars of Sport framework is committed to driving this change and supporting organisations in the development of their sustainability programmes.

Throughout 2025, GSS will continue to explore the broader impacts of sport through its seven pillars and its new GSS Network Datahub, aiming to build a more comprehensive understanding of how sports organisations can deliver meaningful outcomes for their communities, host cities and nations. GSS will also continue to offer its online educational and workshop programme as well as in-person workshops either embedded within other conferences, like MPWs and UCIs, or within an organisations internal programme. For more information on this contact infor@gssport.com.

The potential is vast. By adopting a holistic view of sustainability – one that goes beyond environmental impact to include social, economic, and governance factors – sports organisations can unlock new commercial opportunities while fostering positive change for people and the planet. 

The journey towards sustainability in sport is complex, but with the right frameworks and a commitment to transparency, the sector can lead the way in creating a more sustainable future for all.

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