Sustainability in sport refers to efforts that reduce environmental impact across sporting events, facilities, products and supply chains. As sport continues to grow globally, organisations are increasingly exploring ways to reduce waste, improve recycling, support reusable systems and adopt more responsible materials without compromising the sporting experience.
Introduction
For most of sporting history, success was measured using a single scoreboard.
Who ran fastest.
Who jumped highest.
Who scored most.
Who won.
Today, a second scoreboard is beginning to emerge.
Impact.
From global sporting events and stadium operations to the products athletes use every day, organisations are increasingly being judged not only by performance, but by how that performance is achieved.
That shift is helping reshape the conversation around sustainability in sport.
Why Sustainability In Sport Matters
Sport is one of the most influential forces in modern society.
It shapes how people train, travel, recover, eat and spend their money.
The scale is enormous.
A single sold-out sporting event can consume thousands of drinks bottles, food containers, cups, merchandise items and pieces of packaging in just a few hours.
Multiply that across major tournaments, marathons, fitness events and global competitions and the environmental impact becomes significant.
As sport continues to grow, so does the importance of managing that impact responsibly.
Why Sport Generates So Much Waste
Modern sport is built around convenience.
Spectators expect food and drinks.
Athletes rely on hydration, nutrition and recovery products.
Events require infrastructure, logistics, transport and waste management systems.
Plastic became widely adopted because it is lightweight, durable, affordable and practical.
Unfortunately, those same characteristics have contributed to one of the world's most significant environmental challenges. (1)
The question is no longer whether sport creates waste.
The question is how the industry responds.
The Environmental Impact Of Modern Sport
Major sporting events generate significant volumes of waste through food and beverage operations, hospitality services, merchandise, temporary infrastructure and fan experiences.
As a result, sustainability has become an increasingly important part of event planning.
Many sporting organisations now include environmental objectives alongside operational goals.
Recent initiatives have focused on:
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Reducing single-use plastics
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Increasing recycling rates
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Improving waste recovery systems
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Encouraging reusable alternatives
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Diverting waste from landfill
While progress has been made, the scale of the challenge remains substantial.
The Scale Of The Challenge
The clearest way to understand sport's sustainability challenge is through real-world examples.
Ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026™, Associated Press reported that 13 of the 16 host stadiums had earned LEED certification, with sustainability initiatives projected to save more than 100 million gallons of drinking water annually and eliminate more than 5 million single-use plastics each year. (2)
Paris 2024 reported reducing single-use plastic by approximately 50% across the Olympic Games through refill infrastructure, free drinking water points and support for reusable bottles. (3)
Wimbledon reports that none of its Championships waste is sent to landfill and has introduced reusable cup systems and refill initiatives across the tournament. (4)
London Marathon Events has trialled alternatives to single-use plastic bottles, including edible seaweed pods and expanded refill infrastructure across its major events. (5)
These examples demonstrate that sustainability in sport is no longer a future ambition.
It is already influencing how events are designed, operated and measured.
Sustainability Is Becoming Sport's Next Performance Challenge
For decades, sport has focused on solving performance challenges.
How can athletes recover faster?
How can teams perform better?
How can organisations improve results?
Increasingly, another challenge is emerging.
How can sport continue to grow while reducing its environmental impact?
This is driving innovation across:
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Packaging
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Materials
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Venue design
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Waste management
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Supply chains
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Recycling systems
In many ways, sustainability has become another performance challenge for sport to solve.
Sports Drinks And The Hidden Environmental Footprint Of Performance
One of the less discussed sources of waste in sport comes from hydration products.
Whether competing at elite level or participating recreationally, athletes regularly consume:
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Water
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Sports drinks
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Electrolyte products
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Recovery beverages
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Functional drinks
This creates significant demand for beverage packaging.
For performance brands, this presents an important challenge.
Consumers increasingly expect products to support both performance goals and environmental responsibility.
As a result, packaging has become an increasingly important part of product development.
For brands operating in sport, sustainability can no longer be treated as separate from performance.
The two are becoming increasingly connected.
Why Recycling Alone Is Not Enough
Recycling remains an important part of waste management.
However, environmental organisations increasingly recognise that preventing plastic pollution before it occurs may be equally important. (1)
Even recyclable materials depend on effective collection systems, sorting infrastructure, consumer behaviour, contamination levels and local recycling capacity.
As a result, many organisations are exploring ways to prevent waste from becoming pollution in the first place.
The conversation is gradually shifting from:
"How do we recycle more?"
to:
"How do we create better systems from the start?"
What Is Prevented Ocean Plastic™?
Prevented Ocean Plastic™ is plastic collected from coastal communities at risk of ocean plastic leakage before it reaches the ocean. (6)
Rather than attempting to recover plastic after it has become marine pollution, the programme focuses on collection, interception and recycling before leakage occurs.
This prevention-focused approach has attracted increasing attention from organisations seeking alternatives to virgin plastic.
Why KURE Uses Prevented Ocean Plastic™
For KURE, sustainability extends beyond what is inside the bottle.
As an oxygen-enriched spring water designed for active lifestyles, KURE was built around the belief that modern performance products should consider both personal wellbeing and environmental responsibility.
KURE bottles are made using Prevented Ocean Plastic™. (8)
By choosing Prevented Ocean Plastic™, KURE aims to:
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Reduce reliance on virgin plastic
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Support circular economy principles
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Help intercept plastic before it reaches the ocean
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Support coastal communities involved in collection programmes
This reflects a broader belief that the future of performance products will increasingly be judged by two questions:
What does the product do?
How responsibly is it made?
Can Sport Become More Sustainable?
There is unlikely to be a single solution.
The environmental impact of sport is influenced by:
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Travel
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Infrastructure
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Energy use
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Food systems
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Packaging
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Waste management
However, meaningful progress is possible.
Across the sporting world, organisations are increasingly exploring:
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Reusable systems
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Improved recycling infrastructure
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Waste reduction programmes
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Sustainable sourcing
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Circular economy models
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Better consumer education
The direction of travel is clear.
Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important consideration across every level of sport.
FAQs
What Is Sustainability In Sport?
Sustainability in sport refers to efforts that reduce environmental impact while supporting the long-term future of sporting events, venues, products and participation.
Why Is Plastic Waste A Problem In Sport?
Sporting events generate large volumes of packaging through food, drinks, merchandise and hospitality operations, creating significant waste management challenges.
Can Sporting Events Reduce Plastic Waste?
Yes. Many organisations now use refill stations, reusable systems, waste reduction initiatives and improved recycling programmes to reduce environmental impact.
What Is Prevented Ocean Plastic™?
Prevented Ocean Plastic™ is plastic collected from coastal areas at risk of ocean plastic leakage before it reaches the ocean and then recycled into new materials. (6)
Why Does KURE Use Prevented Ocean Plastic™?
KURE uses Prevented Ocean Plastic™ to help reduce reliance on virgin plastic while supporting efforts to intercept plastic before it reaches the ocean. (8)
Is Sustainability Becoming More Important In Sport?
Yes. Athletes, consumers, sponsors, governing bodies and brands are placing increasing emphasis on environmental responsibility across sport.
What Are Examples Of Sustainability In Sport?
Examples include Paris 2024 reducing single-use plastic across the Olympic Games, Wimbledon introducing reusable cup systems, London Marathon Events trialling lower-waste hydration solutions and FIFA World Cup 2026 host stadiums adopting sustainability initiatives. (2,3,4,5)
Key Takeaways
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Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important consideration across modern sport.
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Major events including the FIFA World Cup, Paris 2024, Wimbledon and London Marathon have introduced waste reduction initiatives.
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Beverage packaging remains an important sustainability challenge within sport.
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Many organisations are shifting focus from recycling alone towards prevention-focused solutions.
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Prevented Ocean Plastic™ aims to intercept plastic before it reaches the ocean.
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KURE uses Prevented Ocean Plastic™ as part of its broader sustainability approach.
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The future of sport may increasingly be judged by two scoreboards: performance and impact.
Conclusion
Sport has always been driven by performance.
Athletes strive to go faster.
Teams work to become stronger.
Events continue to grow.
What is changing is how success is measured.
Across the sporting world, organisations are increasingly recognising that performance and responsibility do not need to compete with one another.
The future of sport will still be shaped by results, records and achievements.
But increasingly, it will also be influenced by the choices made behind the scenes.
From major tournaments and stadiums to the products athletes use every day, sustainability is becoming an increasingly important part of the sporting landscape.
For brands such as KURE, that means recognising that the future of performance may be judged not only by what a product delivers, but also by how responsibly it is produced, packaged and recovered.
The future of sport will increasingly be judged by two scoreboards:
Performance.
And impact.
References
(1) United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Single-Use Plastics: A Roadmap for Sustainability
https://www.unep.org/resources/report/single-use-plastics-roadmap-sustainability
(2) Associated Press
World Cup Stadiums Earn Prestigious Certifications as Green Buildings Before Matches Begin
https://apnews.com/article/91c6444de864c52902ec741a99b84833
(3) International Olympic Committee
Paris 2024 Sustainable Games
https://www.olympics.com/ioc/paris-2024-sustainable-games
(4) Wimbledon
Resource Efficiency
https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/resource_efficiency
(5) London Marathon Events
Environmental Report
https://www.londonmarathonevents.co.uk/london-marathon/article/lme-publishes-first-environmental-report
(6) Prevented Ocean Plastic™
https://www.preventedoceanplastic.com
(7) Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Plastics and the Circular Economy
https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/plastics/overview
(8) KURE Oxygen Water
https://kureoxygen.com
