Why carry out a GHG assessment for a sporting event?

🔍Identify the main emissions

These events generate significant emissions, often concentrated around three main areas, contributing to the increase in their carbon footprint:

• Transport: Participants, audience, teams and logistics.
• Energy: Consumption related to lighting, sound systems and temporary buildings.
• Waste: Management of food packaging, disposables and other waste generated during the event.

👏🏻Répondre to meet public and partner expectations

Today, the public, sponsors and authorities expect concrete action in favor of the environment.

The younger generation in particular are more aware of climate issues, and prefer responsible events. Taking their commitment into account is an asset for strengthening your credibility and appeal.

⚖️Se comply with new regulations while maximizing your CSR commitment

Environmental regulations are becoming increasingly stringent, requiring rigorous management of GHG emissions. In this context, 19 of the world's major cities, including Paris, New York, Copenhagen and Tokyo, have signed up to theNetZero initiative to achieve carbon neutrality in their buildings. According to the Cities Climate Leadership Group, they are thus aligning their efforts with the ambitious objectives of the Paris Agreement.

To stand out from the crowd, adopting international standards such as ISO 20121 for sustainable events has become a guarantee of responsibility and quality. This approach is based on the ISO 14067 standard, which includes the production of a GHG balance sheet as a central pillar of environmental transition.

📈Maximize the benefits for the organizer

Going beyond compliance by reducing the carbon footprint of your events means seizing a strategic opportunity with tangible benefits:

• Cost optimization: Reducing travel, energy consumption and waste generates significant and lasting savings.
• Image enhancement: Adopting a responsible approach enhances the value of your event in the eyes of committed sponsors and a public increasingly aware of environmental issues.
• Anticipating change: Preparing your events for future regulatory requirements and societal expectations positions you as an innovative leader and forerunner in your sector.

Carrying out a GHG assessment is more than just an obligation. It's a powerful tool for turning your events into benchmarks for innovation, sustainability and success.

What are the main emission factors at a sporting event?

🏟️ The hidden carbon challenges of sporting events

• Transport :

• • Journeys for athletes, spectators and technical teams (cars, planes, buses).
  • People flow management, especially for major international events.

• Energy consumed on the event site :
• Electricity consumption for lighting stadiums, grandstands and temporary facilities.
• Energy required for sound systems, giant screens, refrigeration systems, etc.
• Temporary infrastructure and logistics :
• Construction of stages, stands, grandstands and public facilities.
• Transport and management of competition materials and tickets.
• Food and drink :
• Impact of food products served on site (packaging, origin, management of food residues).
• Use of single-use plastics and other non-recyclable materials.
• Residue management :
• Production of waste at events (plastics, paper, metals).
• Sorting, collection and recovery of residual materials.

♦️Le carbon footprint red card: the 2022 Football World Cup in Qatar

These impacts are not just theoretical: they are strikingly illustrated by major sporting events. The 2022 Football World Cup in Qatar, far from being an ecological model, turned out to be a real "red card" in terms of carbon footprint.

3.6 million tonnes of CO₂e (MtCO2eq), that's the estimate of the competition's GHG Balance, which would be emitted into the atmosphere during the FIFA event, according to a report by Carbon Market Watch.

¹GillesDufrasne (October 31, 2022), Bad tackle: yellow card for the 2022 FIFA World Cup carbon neutrality declaration - Update, Carbon Market Watch

²AndrewMills (February 21, 2022), Qatar's World Cup stadium needs refrigerated stadiums and desalinated water to thrive, Reuters

³Report(2022), methane emissions reduction project at the Baladna composting facility in Qatar, Global Carbon Council

How can you reduce the carbon footprint of a sporting event?

Organizing an event inevitably has an environmental impact, particularly in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. In a context where sustainability is becoming an imperative, reducing these emissions is essential to limit the impact on the planet while meeting stakeholder expectations. Here are some concrete actions to make every aspect of an event more sustainable:

🚎Optimizing transport: making every journey greener

• Switch to renewable resources: Power your event with solar, wind or other green solutions.
• Optimize your installations: install energy-saving LED lighting and integrate intelligent solutions to minimize unnecessary consumption.
• Eco-design temporary infrastructures: Favor low-impact materials and solutions that reduce overall energy consumption.

♾️Gestion eco-responsible energy: powering the event without depleting the planet

• Switch to renewable energies: Power your event with solar, wind or other green sources.
• Optimize your installations: install energy-saving LED lighting and integrate intelligent solutions to minimize unnecessary consumption.
• Eco-design temporary infrastructures: Favor low-impact materials and solutions that reduce overall energy consumption.

♻️ Reducing waste: towards a zero-waste event

• Revolutionize catering: offer meals served without plastic packaging, and give preference to local, organic and seasonal produce.

• Encourage recycling: Increase the number of sorting points and raise public awareness of their importance.

• Offer sustainable alternatives: Distribute reusable water bottles or eco-friendly containers to limit disposable waste.

🌱Carbon offsetting: residual emissions

Even with the best efforts, some emissions cannot be reduced. Offset them with positive initiatives:

• Invest in reforestation: Support local or international projects to plant trees and capture CO₂.
• Finance innovative solutions: Collaborate with partners to invest in technologies or projects aimed at reducing global emissions.

Paris 2024: A sustainable Olympic Games

The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games marked a turning point in the organization of major sporting competitions by achieving ambitious targets for reducing their carbon footprint. With a balance sheet counted at 1.59 million tonnes CO₂ equivalent (teqCO₂), these Games recorded a 54.6% reduction compared to the average of the London 2012 and Rio 2016 editions.

• Sustainable infrastructures and rational use of resources

Paris 2024 relied on existing facilities to limit the need for new construction, thereby reducing the use of materials and associated emissions. The necessary developments have been designed with sustainability in mind, with priority given to reducing environmental impact and reuse.

• Concrete actions to reduce carbon footprint

The organization implemented innovative measures to optimize the mobility of participants and the public, favoring collective means of transport and soft mobility. In terms of food, particular emphasis was placed on local, seasonal and sustainable produce, thus reducing the carbon footprint of the meals served at the events.

• A legacy for climate and sport

These results published by the Paris 2024 Games Committee make it a concrete example of environmental responsibility in the sporting world. They show that it is possible to organize world-class events while complying with strict sustainability standards. This success paves the way for a new era in sporting events, in France and around the world, with a model that reconciles sporting performance and respect for the climate.