What motivates sporting organisations to embrace sustainability?

Businesses across all industries will have some form of environmental awareness woven into the fabric of their operations. This may be because of common sense (recycling), a cost-saving exercise (turning off the lights, installing solar panels), feeling like it is the right thing to do, or simply because they have to comply with local regulations.

But as the earth has become firmly wrapped up in the climate crisis, organisations are more aware of the need to do something in order to turn the tide. This could be for many reasons, for example, their customers demanding a certain level of attention focused on environmental and social initiatives.

This also includes sporting organisations, which have started veering towards more of a structured approach to reducing emissions, their interactions with the local communities, and promoting sustainability.

Identifying the motivating factor behind an organisation’s aim of being more environmentally sustainable is a solid base to advance plans, according to Senior Sustainability Consultant for 3R Linsey Shea.

“There are unique nuances in sport that other industries may not see, in terms of how organisations are structured and work, but at the end of the day I think first and foremost it comes down to what is motivating the organisation to approach 3R,” Shea tells Global Sustainable Sport.

“We ask: ‘What do they need? What services are they looking for? And why?’ That’s going to inform how we implement initiatives. In the same way, a manufacturer or CPG [Consumer Packaged Goods] company, the demand may be coming from who they are selling to.

“Sport may be exploring change because one of their major revenue streams is looking for it. There may be a push from a corporate partner or sponsor, or a push from their fan base. So, the first step is to really understand that motivating factor of ‘why do they need our help?’ Because that’s going to influence how we communicate with them.”

Additionally, Shea explains that 3R works with organisations to demonstrate the value of incorporating sustainability into an organisation’s operations; going beyond the idea of ‘our customers are asking for it’.

“We might have to do a little more front-end communication on why there is business value to sustainability, versus a client that’s coming to us saying ‘we’ve been doing sustainability for years, but we’ve been doing it because it gets good business,” says Shea. “We’ve done these programmes. We think it’s the right thing to do. We want to take it to the next level.”

The next step is to dig deep into the organisation and understanding what has already been implemented and its goals. And while the process may be a little different for a sporting outlet, it all comes down to identifying what is important to an organisation both internally and externally, and the issues currently faced around sustainability.

“We then work with you to craft solutions to those issues and integrate them into your business in a way that is holistic, so that if budget cuts and challenges arise, you’re not just casting sustainability to the side,” says Shea.

“It’s not a standalone silo that can just be cut off. It’s actually integrated into the way you do business.”

But what about cost?

Often a barrier for clubs, bodies, federations, organisers or businesses within the sporting industries is cost.

It can be quite easy to justify inaction over environmental and social sustainability by saying there is no budget for it. But being sustainable does not necessarily mean having to invest thousands – or even millions.

Shea agrees that sometimes implementing sustainable initiatives can incur a cost, but ultimately it should treated as any new scheme would be. Additionally, Shea explains that a full cost analysis should be undertaken to understand the benefits and possible savings from implementing further sustainability initiatives.

Elsewhere, Shea explains that many organisations overlook the “low-hanging fruit” of simply ways to improve sustainability – for example the signage around recycling to help improve waste diversion from landfill.

Shea says: “If you want to increase diversion, ask yourself ‘how is your signage above recycling bins and landfill bins? Is it clear? Are there ways without cost to increase your venue’s video and audio signage with messages on recycling and how to sort things?”

In a more sporting specific context, clubs or organisations can work with their social media and marketing teams, and guest experiences teams, to help educate fans on the best sustainable practices like placing plastics in the correct recycling bins.

“I think it’s just identifying those common problems from the outset, for example if you are trying to get to a 90% diversion rate of zero waste, then what is preventing you from getting there,” Shea asks. “What are those quick and immediate things that we can do that are no- or low-cost? I think a lot of the time, it really centres around education, and how you leverage what you already have available from your gameday experience.”

Leveraging the gameday or event experience

The gameday or event experience is obviously intrinsic to a sporting organisation’s operations – it is where a lot of money can be made. It is also the lifeblood of attracting and retaining fans across multiple generations.

In a world where many sporting events can be viewed from the comfort of your own home, influencing sustainability can even enhance the experience of watching the event in-person.

Shea offers the example of the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Atlanta Hawks, which offers recognition programmes for fans that have made changes to their behaviours in terms of the environment, like recycling more or utilising public transport to games.

“It’s about improving their experience while also prompting those behavioural changes, making them feel part of their mission,” says Shea.

The regulation debate

Across the European Union, large companies and listed organisations are required to disclose information on the risks and opportunities arising from social and environmental issues, and on the impact of their activities on people and the environment.

The law was implemented from January last year.

However, what are the potential issues around introducing further regulations specifically aimed at sport?

“My concern with adding more regulations to sport is ultimately around the impact on the fan,” Shea muses. “Because, if we are staying to say you have to do all of these things and the teams are taking on more costs, and costs are continuing to rise, the teams will not absorb them. They will pass them down to their fans.

“I’m not educated enough in that space to say it won’t potentially have a negative impact on either the fan experience or the cost for the fans, but would we get to a point where there wouldn’t be equitable access?

“Would we get to the point where sport becomes something that only a privileged few can enjoy because the cost of attendance is so high that it’s not accessible for families to attend a game?”

Additionally, Shea says that regulations placed on businesses within the supply chain could naturally filter down to sporting organisations. For example, those that sponsor clubs, events and venues may need them to track and report emissions or detail the diversity within the workforce.

“I wonder if sport will potentially be dragged along, because sponsors may come in and say: ‘We have to report this and we need to know this information from you’ and in the future, our sponsorship is going to continue based on you reporting this information,” Shea says.

The importance of social initiatives

With fandom and support so intrinsic to the survival of a sporting organisation, community initiatives are incredibly important when constructing a sustainability strategy.

It’s also not just about retaining lifelong fans, their support and ultimately their money, but it’s also about serving the community and giving back.

Even from a business perspective, supporting the local community can hone an organisation’s product.

“I try to take the business example route because I think it’s the best way to relate to executive teams that may not understand this,” explains Shea. “Sport is predicated on the fact a club can field a team of the best players to compete against each other. We are selling an experience.

“Then we start thinking about both environmental and social peace. How do we look at this from the perspective of a professional pipeline? Do communities have access to green spaces, clear water, or fields to train on? Do they have access to coaches, with equipment and space to grow and play the game?

“The environmental and social becomes so incredibly intertwined, that if you want to continue to field the best product, you have to invest in your communities – and not just certain communities, but all.”

Ultimately, sporting organisations need to understand what is motivating them to become more sustainable. Being more environmentally friendly or implementing further social initiatives doesn’t have to be cost-heavy either, it can start from improving simple messaging. Additionally, embracing sustainability can improve a sporting organisation’s product – from enhancing the fan experience, to producing the sporting stars of the future.

3R Sustainability is a consultancy based in Pittsburgh in the US, helping clients to realise the value of sustainability across the organisation.

Images: André Cook/Lukas/Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash/Markus Spiske on Unsplash