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Sport and Sustainability International Is A New Organization Founded To Help Protect The Environment Through Sports

Last week, the global effort to address climate change through sustainability gained a valuable partner that will focus on promoting environmental, economic and social change through sports.

On Nov. 16, 48 of the most important and well-known sports leagues, governing bodies and teams met in Lausanne, Switzerland. Less than a month later, Sport and Sustainability International became official. The new international organization plans to harness the power and influence of sports to help protect the environment.

SandSI will also help foster sustainable supply chains to help drive vast and complex global sports industries. They hope to encourage collaboration between leagues, teams, venues, sponsors and more. An excerpt of their goals, and their “three pillars” are listed below.

“Reduce reliance on fossil fuels and promote the use of renewable energy, healthy food, green spaces, water efficiency, wildlife conservation, smart mobility, carbon mitigation, safer chemicals, waste management that advances a circular economy, and other environmentally preferable practices and initiatives.”

“Promote fair trade principles in the sports industry’s supply chain, as well as environmentally intelligent procurement, investments, practices and initiatives.”

1. Enhancing sport events, venue design, and operations 2. Influencing the sports industry’s supply chain 3. Mobilizing fans and athletes in support of sustainable, healthy and just communities.

On top of the influential representatives, which include the International Olympic Committee, the Union of European Football Associations, the NBA, the NHL and many more, five directors played a key role in SandSI’s founding. This list features Neil Beecroft of UEFA, and renowned climate scientist Allen Hershkowitz.

“In order to be a member there are certain commitments that have to be made with regard to reducing fossil fuel use, and following the Paris Agreement,” said Hershkowitz. “There is a lengthy mission document that organizations must also commit to following.”

Hershkowitz spent 26 years as a senior scientist at a non-profit environmental advocacy group, the Natural Resources Defense Council. He also helped found the Green Sports Alliance in early 2010 along with six North American sports franchises. Four years later, he left the NRDC to become the president of GSA, where he used sport’s vast influence to encourage sustainability. He then left that post in the summer of 2016 for a new pursuit: it’s now called SandSI.

He began working with the U.S. sports community in 2004. “I started this work with one team, the Philadelphia Eagles,” Hershkowitz said. “Now there are hundreds of teams and leagues around the world.”

“There has been gigantic progress in terms of energy efficiency, recycling, waste reduction, food donation, water conservation, safer chemical use and fan education in sports,” said Hershkowitz. “I mean, few of these practices even existed in sports just 10 years ago.”

As climate change and its concerns gained more publicity, the sports world took notice. But Hershkowitz observed that even as many leagues and teams were reaching out to GSA about implementing environmentally friendly practices, few were in contact with each other. He knew the creation of one coherent international organization could be the solution.

“The reason it’s called sports and suitability international is because it is not just about making sporting events sustainable,” said Hershkowitz. “It is about using sporting events to help make the larger community more sustainable.”

The NBA and NHL  heavily promote green initiatives. American Airlines Arena, home of the Miami Heat, became the “world’s first” entertainment and sports facility to earn LEED Gold recertification. This past summer, UEFA’s EURO 2016 earned the International Standardization Organization’s 20121 certification. And there are now dozens of professional teams utilizing onsite solar energy—something we have covered extensively.

The IOC, UEFA and the NBA are some of the most recognizable and powerful sports brands on the planet. They also have massive sway on global supply chains. Now they are all partners in one global environmental suitability effort. “Billions of people pay attention to sports, and if we can get their attention about the need to make some behavior changes at home,” said Hershkowitz. “It can go a long way to improving the situation.”

SandSI will be headquartered in Lausanne, but they will also have affiliate offices around the world. The organization, which boasts the motto “do more,” according to Hershkowitz, will host its next meeting in Munich, Germany, in late February.

“The most important thing we can do is change cultural attitudes about how we relate to the earth,” said Hershkowitz. “And sports is one of the most major cultural aspects in the world”

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