Turning Sustainability Ambition into Action: iiE Calls on Sport and Leisure to Have Its Say.
- Why Sports
- 6 hours ago
- 4 min read
The ambition to become more sustainable is growing across sport and physical activity. The challenge for many organisations is knowing where to begin, what to measure and how to turn good intentions into meaningful, demonstrable progress.
Following its involvement in the Green Goals Conference, Investors in the Environment is inviting organisations from across sport, leisure and physical activity to help shape a clearer picture of where the sector currently stands—and what support it needs to move forward.
Investors in the Environment, known as iiE, is a not-for-profit sustainability accreditation scheme that works with organisations of different sizes and sectors. Its programme is designed to help businesses and community organisations understand their environmental impact, develop practical action plans, reduce carbon emissions, and independently evidence their progress.
This matters because the appetite for action is already there. Research referenced by iiE suggests that 82% of sports organisations want to be more ambitious on sustainability. Yet ambition alone does not reduce energy use, change travel behaviours, prevent waste or build resilience. Organisations need practical guidance, internal ownership and a realistic route from the first conversation to measurable results.
Six steps to make every move happen.
To support the sector, iiE has produced its Make Every Move Happen six-step sustainability plan. Rather than presenting sustainability as an overwhelming programme of work, the guide breaks the journey into manageable stages.
It encourages organisations to:
Understand their environmental impact and consider how climate change could affect future delivery.
Appoint a Green Champion, create a team and establish a clear plan.
Measure and manage the organisation’s most significant carbon impacts.
Reduce emissions linked to travel and energy use.
Prevent waste by embracing reuse and circular-economy principles.
Embed sustainability into everyday decision-making and celebrate progress.
The message running through the plan is clear: sustainability should not sit on the edge of an organisation as an isolated project. It needs to become part of its strategy, operations, culture and conversations with employees, partners, customers and communities.
Importantly, the plan also recognises the realities facing the sector. Organisations may want to cut carbon but lack specialist knowledge. They may be unsure which data to collect, how to calculate their footprint or how to demonstrate environmental progress when bidding for funding and contracts.
iiE members receive access to practical templates, training, carbon-footprint support and guidance from a dedicated sustainability adviser. The programme also includes an annual accreditation audit, a written improvement report and resources that organisations can use to communicate their achievements.
Small changes can unlock significant results.
The examples contained within the six-step plan demonstrate that environmental improvement does not always have to begin with a major capital project.
Newcastle United Foundation started with a single cardboard recycling bin. With support from iiE, it developed a Green Team, an action plan and a carbon budget. By changing how its spaces were scheduled, the Foundation reportedly removed 230 hours of energy use each week without disrupting services.
Rise North East’s Kit Out Sunderland initiative provides another strong example of how environmental and social objectives can reinforce one another. Through 18 donation points, the project collected 224kg of reusable sports kits in three weeks and redistributed them to families on lower incomes. The initiative prevented usable equipment from becoming waste while also helping to make participation more accessible.
These stories are particularly relevant to sport and leisure. Environmental sustainability cannot be viewed separately from affordability, accessibility, health and community impact. Reducing energy consumption can protect budgets.
Reusing equipment can remove barriers to participation. Better travel planning can lower emissions while encouraging active travel. More resilient organisations are also better placed to continue serving communities as environmental and financial pressures increase.
Help build a picture of sustainability across the sector.
iiE has now launched a survey for professionals working across sport, leisure and physical activity.
The aim is to understand where organisations are on their sustainability journey, the barriers they are encountering and the support that would enable them to take further action. With sufficient participation, the findings could be developed into a wider report for the sector.
That report has the potential to do more than describe the current position. It could identify shared challenges, highlight examples of effective practice and provide an evidence base for future conversations with funders, policymakers, governing bodies, facility operators and commercial partners.
Why Sports would welcome the opportunity to support that work and help ensure the experiences of organisations across our community are represented.
Whether your organisation already has a detailed environmental strategy or is only beginning to ask the first questions, your perspective matters.
Complete the sport and leisure sustainability survey:
Explore IIE’s support for sport and leisure organisations:
Download the six-step guide:
Make Every Move Happen: Six Steps to Sustainability
The sustainability journey will look different for every organisation. What matters is beginning it, measuring progress and ensuring that environmental responsibility becomes part of how the sector plans, invests and delivers—not simply something it talks about.