RUSSELL SEYMOUR
POLICY
CEO BASIS
A shared theme
T
he past few weeks have been a busy time. In mid-May, BASIS held its annual conference, welcoming nearly 130 sustainability and sport
professionals to the Principality Stadium, Cardiff. The following week, I and BASIS Board Chair Chris Whitaker, spoke at the SAPCA Conference. And a little over a week after that, the nation and the Commonwealth
“FUNDAMENTALLY, SUSTAINABILITY SHOULD SIT AT THE HEART OF EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO AS A BUSINESS“
celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. What linked these three events together? A
Specifically, environmental sustainability in
shared theme of environmental sustainability.
this context relates to better design, better
In the middle of the great Jubilee Concert
maintenance and better end-of-life treatment
held in London – I loved The Queen (the
of sport and play facilities. Fundamentally,
monarch) starting Queen’s (the band’s)
sustainability should sit at the heart of
iconic “We Will Rock You” beat with her
everything that you do as a business – ask
teaspoon and tea cup – Prince William spoke.
yourself what impact will this have, and how
And, no doubt, with his grandmother’s
can I reduce it? Our sister organisation in
blessing, he spoke of the work of “visionary
Australia (the Sports Environment Alliance)
environmentalists” around the world. He
uses the strapline “No Planet, No Play”.
acknowledged the benefits of “unimaginable
It’s true on this side of the world too.
technological developments and scientific
It is now unthinkable for any organisation
breakthroughs” that have happened during his
to operate without due care and attention
grandmother’s remarkable reign, but also the
to health and safety (once considered to
impacts that human activities have had and
be excessively burdensome) and, more
that “the pressing need to protect and restore
recently, to equality, diversity and inclusion.
our planet has never been more urgent”.
Legislation requires that businesses comply
Just a week or so before, SAPCA chair Jason Douglass’ speech at the association’s
with H&S and EDI standards and this will It is now
be increasingly true for sustainability
Conference revealed environmental
unthinkable for
issues – including environmental, social
sustainability as one of the “important global
any business to
and economic - moving forwards.
and national subject matters” that he wants
operate without a
the association to address during his tenure.
sustainability plan
Jason went on to outline an initiative for SAPCA to introduce minimum standards and thresholds, certification, incentives and awards for SAPCA members working on their environmental impacts. As a partner organisation BASIS stands ready and willing to assist in every way we can. Many things are going badly wrong with the environment at the moment, but I’ll leave the final words to Prince William: “There is hope. If we harness the very best of humankind,
© SHUTTERSTOCK/MATIMIX
and restore our planet, we’ll protect it for our children, for our grandchildren and for future generations to come.” ●
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SPORTSNATION.ORG.UK JUL/AUG 2022
