Oh good, another article about sustainablilty! Commitments, strategy, hype, apathy? Sarita Shah, associate director, strategy at Weber Shandwick explains how communication is key to cutting through the noise and making a genuine impact when it comes to sustainability in sport.
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or businesses and organisations around the world, sustainability is the topic du jour. Every day it seems another business announces a new sustainability strategy, set of commitments and targets, (sometimes) underpinned with a roadmap to achieving them. Given the IPCC’s warning that staving off climate disaster is now a matter of ‘now or never’, this sign of action has never been more important. As a result, we now find ourselves at a crossroads. The need to tackle the climate crisis is evermore urgent, but with hype around milestone moments like COP26 and the Sport Positive Summit quickly dwindling – urgency has rapidly turned to apathy. This is absolutely true for sports organisations clubs, governing bodies or business in the sector. Moreover, spectators, fans, media and corporate stakeholders are savvier than ever before in being able to cut through the sustainability noise and recognise those who are genuinely committed to transforming their organisations. Those same audiences are demanding follow through on the pledges that were made, and are unabashed in calling out ‘greenwashing’. This means that the players that tackle the problem head on – and more importantly follow through, will fare best in the new world. Ultimately, following through on sustainability promises isn’t just priority, it makes good business sense too. So as the ESG landscape continues to change at pace, how can sports organisations ensure their sustainability story is one to write home about? And then, how can those organisations ensure that same story is reaching the audiences that matter? 20 | OTFF ISSUE 20 ★ SUMMER 2022
Sarita Shah Associate Director, Strategy at Weber Shandwick
