Introduction
Sport reaches billions of people. From stadiums to living rooms, its influence is unmatched. But that reach comes with responsibility.
The climate crisis is already affecting training schedules, flooding pitches, and intensifying travel risks. Yet the sports sector also holds unique potential to shape the future, by reducing its own footprint and inspiring change at scale.
Why sustainability in sport matters
The environmental footprint of sport is wide-ranging. Clubs and leagues contribute to emissions through travel, construction, food, merchandise, broadcasting, and more.
At the same time, the sector is highly vulnerable. Extreme weather is disrupting competitions and putting pressure on infrastructure. From grassroots to elite level, the risks are growing.
But there’s another side to the story. Sports bring people together, shape values and spark behaviour change. If clubs act on climate, fans notice and follow. That’s why the shift to sustainable sport is more than a trend; it’s an opportunity to lead by example.
Statistics highlighting the need for action
- The global football industry emits over 30 million metric tons of CO₂ annually, which is equivalent to the annual emissions of Denmark.
- Fan travel accounts for the majority of event-related emissions. A prime example was the UEFA Euros in 2024. Nearly 80% of the tournament’s 361,912 tCO₂e emissions were calculated to be from fan travel.
Challenges in the sports sector
Decarbonising the sports industry isn’t simple, and many clubs can face challenges such as:
- Multiple businesses in one: This is one of the main challenges with sports clubs. There will be a logistics business for match travel, a catering business to feed everyone, an events business to entertain, and so on. What does this mean? There is complexity to measuring across all of these different operational areas.
- Ageing infrastructure: Older stadiums and training facilities may lack energy-efficient systems.
- Data gaps: Tracking emissions from merchandise, fan travel, or third-party suppliers is difficult without the right systems in place.
- Limited capacity: Smaller clubs often lack internal expertise or budget for sustainability roles.
- Pressure to perform: On-field performance remains the top priority, which can make long-term planning difficult.
Despite these barriers, the direction of travel is clear. Sponsors, regulators, and fans are all calling for climate transparency. Taking action today can help clubs stay ahead of regulation, strengthen their brand, and earn long-term loyalty from supporters.
The UN Sports for Climate Action Framework
The UNFCCC’s Sports for Climate Action framework offers clear guidance for sports organisations aiming to take climate leadership seriously.
The framework asks signatories to commit to five core principles:
- Promote greater environmental responsibility
- Reduce climate impact
- Educate for climate action
- Promote sustainable consumption
- Advocate for climate leadership
Major federations and events, including the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and FIFA, have already adopted this framework. It provides a globally recognised structure for action, helping embed environmental sustainability in sport by aligning clubs with broader UN goals and sustainability standards.
How clubs can lead on sustainability in sport
The good this is that sports clubs tend to be highly structured. You know how many games you’ll be playing throughout the season, where they’ll be held and how many people are likely to attend. This predictability allows you to plan ahead, enabling measurement, forecasting, and reduction to be embedded early in the season
The solution is to tackle each part of the club differently, with a coordinated but tailored approach:
1. Target measuring your footprint in Year 1
Every club’s journey begins with measurement. Understanding your carbon footprint in Year 1, across Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, lays the foundation for progress. Once calculated, this will highlight key emission hotspots for improvement: how fans travel to matches, how kits are produced, where energy is used, and how events are run.
2. Set up a green committee
Form a cross-departmental group that is responsible for driving sustainability across the different business areas. This ensures that it isn’t siloed and that all decisions are aligned with a shared mission.
3. Delegate the responsibility of data collection
Assign each department the task of gathering relevant data, for example, utility bills from the facilities teams, transport logs from the logistics teams and food procurement info from catering. This not only helps to distribute the workload, but also increases ownership of the outcomes.
4. Create clear targets and KPIs
After collecting the relevant data, set realistic goals that are specific and in a language that everyone understands across all the different departments. Framing targets clearly helps teams align their efforts and track progress.
Some examples include:
- Catering: Can the club reduce meat consumption in matchday meals, or transition to lighter, recyclable packaging?
- Operations: What steps can the club take to transition owned facilities like stadiums and training grounds to renewable energy sources. Some of the world’s leading clubs are already moving in this direction. Manchester City is installing 11,000 solar panels, and Ajax has retrofitted the Johan Cruyff Arena with 4,200 panels, aiming for net-positive energy by 2030.
- Travel: Can the club limit long-haul flights for friendly games, or choose greener modes of transport for regional matches? Consider setting a target to reduce total travel emissions by a percentage year on year
5. Action and report
Once this process has kicked off, build in regular reporting cycles to track progress, celebrate wins and adjust those cycles as needed. This enables departments to stay accountable and adapt. Sustainability isn’t a one-time initiative; it’s an evolving process that thrives on consistency and learning. Over time, the insights gathered can feed into a club-wide impact report, which serves both internal planning and external communication. Publishing this after the first year of data collection is a great way to show stakeholders your intent, progress, and next steps.
6. Engaging fans in climate action
Supporters trust their clubs and care deeply about them, so there is a unique opportunity to connect with people on climate issues in practical and relatable ways.
One excellent example is the Planet League, a UK-based initiative that turns climate action into competition. Fans earn points for completing sustainable activities, from using public transport to eating plant-based meals, with clubs competing to top the league table. It shows how engagement, education and impact can all work together, creating a real sense of climate momentum through football.
Next steps for sports organisations
Whether you’re a professional club, a grassroots team, or a league-wide body, the path to sustainability starts with action.
Here are some steps to begin your journey:
- Measure your impact: Start with data. Understand your emissions, identify hotspots, and benchmark against peers.
- Set clear goals: Align with frameworks like the UN Sports for Climate Action.
- Engage partners: Find collaborators who can support you on measurement, reporting, and strategy.
- Lead by example: Use your voice. Show fans and sponsors what credible, measurable climate action looks like.
Zevero works with sports organisations to kickstart their sustainability journey and simplify the process to act. From measuring your carbon footprint to communicating progress confidently, we help you turn intent into achievable impact.
To learn more about how we can support your journey, get in touch today.
