I ran 50-plus sustainability articles from sports organisations through a ‘greenwash checker’...
Sustainability strategy and insight for sport
….And most carried at least a moderate risk of greenwashing.
It’s a nifty tool, The Greenwashing Compass. Not perfect, but a solid reference if you want to check whether your copy might trigger cries of “greenwash!”
Sport gets called out for greenwashing and ‘sportswashing’ all the time, so I put it to the test. I ran a stack of sustainability articles from sports organisations through the tool.
Here’s what was generally missing (and what The Greenwashing Compass suggests should be included):
Specific data, measurable goals and timelines.
Clear action instead of vague claims like ‘positive’ or ‘environmentally friendly.’
A strong narrative that connects context, data and results.
Most content wasn’t outright greenwashing. It was just using sustainability buzzwords because it felt like the right thing to do.
But sport can do better.
It already tells compelling stories through data – player stats, race times, win percentages. The challenge is pivoting that skillset to sustainability. It’s a tough pivot, but, done well, clubs, leagues and federations could tell engaging and credible stories about what sustainability means to them and how they’re tackling it.
We see this first-hand. Through Touchline Earth, Sustainability Huddle’s big brother (or parent company, if you prefer), we’ve developed an approach to sustainability storytelling – the TRAIN Framework. You can read the full whitepaper here, but here’s the gist:
T = Transformation stories
R = Risks and opportunities
A = Aesthetic intelligence
I = Impact (overused word, but powerful when done right)
N = Narrative storytelling
You don’t win without training, and this is our blueprint.
Download The TRAIN Framework: A Playbook for Compelling Sustainability Reporting in Sport here.
It’s one we’ll focus on more as the sustainability landscape shifts. The writing’s been on the wall for a while, but the geopolitical and business climate suggests many big players across a number of industries are backing away from sustainability and ESG commitments.
Competitive sustainability
Lindsay Hooper and Paul Gilding from the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) argue that ESG, in its current form, won’t deliver the change needed, calling for a shift to “competitive sustainability”.
“Why has this movement fallen short? Was there something profoundly wrong with our collective approach?” they ask.
It’s a difficult question to answer for the whole corporate world, but sport hasn’t made sustainability feel core to business yet. The risks of climate change are real, but we haven’t shown how they hit the bottom line – or how sustainability can create a competitive edge.
At conferences, we always hear that sustainability is good for business. But where are the case studies proving it? There are some, but few and far between.
Hooper and Gilding propose a two-part “value-centric” approach, which I’ve adapted for sport:
1. Change the mindset: Sustainability can’t just be about reputation. Businesses that treat it as a PR exercise rather than a strategic priority are setting themselves up for a fall. Especially now, as we come down from what the Financial Times called the “ESG party”.
The real problem, according to Hooper and Gilding, is that too many companies (and their advisors) are propping up the illusion of progress while avoiding real change.
But the shift is coming, whether through crisis or strategy, and it will reshape entire industries. The question isn’t how much sustainability costs, but how fast businesses can move to stay competitive.
Sport is no different. Clubs, leagues and sponsors are facing structural shifts, from tightening regulations to changing fan and commercial partner expectations. Industries like fossil-free steel are taking a leading position and sport needs the same mindset: real solutions over empty gestures.
2. Change the market: Markets have to move. Industries stuck in outdated models will lose to those driving the transition. The plastic crisis, auto industry stagnation and agriculture’s methane problem all show that voluntary efforts don’t work; real change happens when policy forces the issue.
Sport can’t solve climate change alone, but it has a platform and responsibility to push for policies that make sustainability the norm. It’s time to move beyond “doing our bit” and start shaping the conditions for real progress.
One way to do that – and something this newsletter will explore more in the coming months – is how sport can align with and commercialise partnerships with industries like climate tech.
These companies are leading the transition and could use sport’s visibility to accelerate awareness and adoption. Done right, it’s a win-win: business goals, climate goals and a clear path forward for sports organisations struggling to bridge the gap.
2025 is the year of the shift. Will sport follow the wider trend of watering down commitments? Or will it double down and make a real impact?
That depends on how well it communicates and whether it backs words with action.
So good!
Terrific stuff that is on-point and pragmatic, Matt. Great wjitepaper that I'm happy to share around!