Note: A timeline tracing the development of the sustainability movement in general to the sustainability movement in sports will be presented in this section
Step 3 - What is the current status of sustainability in sports?
Hypothesis,
- There are several initiatives operating in isolation
- Sustainability efforts vary significantly across different sports
- Sustainability efforts vary considerably across different teams in the same sport
- There is a lack of standardization of initiatives
- There is an absence of best practices support
- CSR is the main driver with sports organizations
- It is not driven by regulation or demanded by fans
- The organizational structures of sports organizations do not have a clear sustainability or environment manager - the role is combined with health and safety
Step 4 - What is the current status of sustainability in football in particular?
Hypothesis,
- There are several initiatives operating in isolation
- Sustainability efforts vary considerably across different football teams in different leagues
- There is a lack of standardization of initiatives
- There is an absence of best practices support
- CSR is the main driver with for sustainability in football
- It is not driven by regulation or demanded by fans
- The organizational structures of football teams do not have a clear sustainability or environment manager - the role is combined with health and safety
Step 5 - What more can be done?
Claim,
A 'systems thinking' approach will yield more meaningful sustainability
Evidence
- Literature calling for a 'systems thinking' approach to sustainability in general
Step 6 - What does a 'systems thinking' approach to sustainability in sports involve?
Propose,
- As a first in the academic literature, a concept for 'systems thinking' in sports
- Develop this concept from existing literature on 1) 'systems thinking' 2) sustainability targets in the future (For e.g. UK government aims to cut carbon emissions by 80% by 2050) 3) environmental impacts of sport 4) existing sustainability initiatives in sport
Step 7 - Are the existing initiatives for sustainability in sports meaningful or 'greenwash'?
Speculative,
- Based on the concept developed for 'systems thinking' in sports draw out a set of criteria to assess these initiatives
- Assess these initiatives
Step 8 - Apply the new concept to sustainability in football to come up with a set of recommendations
Speculative findings / conclusion
- Need for clear delineation between environmental sustainability and other pillars of sustainability
- Need for dedicated environmental / sustainability manager within a sports team's structure
- Data collection
- Impact assessment
- Each team must assess the carbon footprint / resource demand associated with its activities
- Regulatory agencies like The FA, UEFA and FIFA should help clubs be more sustainable by offering best practices knowledge, and investment into environmental efforts
- Importance of partnerships
- Importance of communicating sustainability to fans
Step 9 - Discuss the importance of sports as a means to communicate sustainability
- The way it is being done now
- Areas for improvement
