Well, did you roll your eyes when you read this headline and think: "Uff, the next greenwashing lobby article that tries to make me believe that an entire industry is much greener than the uninformed population thinks"? Don't worry, this is all about encouraging people and leading the way as a pioneer!
Every industry needs more and, above all, real sustainability - including the world of sport. Nevertheless, the invitation from UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) for ISPO to take part in the Greentech Festival 2024 in Berlin as a guest on two panels prompted a change of perspective. So why ISPO and why sport of all things? The following five theses are intended to make it clear why sport has an incredible amount to offer in terms of sustainability. It is also a call to make greater use of sport, to challenge and promote it - and to learn from it.
The 5 theses at a glance:
- Sport is a market full of pioneers
- Sustainability is not the same sustainability
- Sustainability is made upstream
- Hard value change meets sport
- It starts with attitude
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This "positive pressure" arrives first in sport and health. Why? Because this generation in particular understands sport and health holistically and declares it a lifestyle. In future, it will therefore be less and less possible to hide behind greenwashing and great green stories. The new generation is allergic to any attempt to present half-truths. Armed with social media power, artificial intelligence in tow and organized in digital and physical communities, they will act mercilessly in the future. This will indeed be uncomfortable for some sports brands, but if they are to remain relevant and ensure their own survival, the real sustainability change in the sports and health sector will have to be implemented first. So the sports world will be the first to get rid of greenwashing - whether it wants to or not.
The good news is that most brands want the sustainable transformation themselves - but a little extra pressure from consumers can't hurt. This is supported by legislation, such as the EU Green Claims Directive, which sets out rules for companies regarding sustainability communication.
Alex Denker Category Manager Sustainability & Snowsports @ISPO
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More and more athletes are using their reach and role models, and organizations like Protect Our Winters are also raising their voices and mobilizing others, such as in the #tryharderfis campaign or the current call for the EU elections.
Alex Denker Category Manager Sustainability & Snowsports @ISPO
Unfortunately, end consumers and the market are always slow to move in a new direction, which is often due to the long order cycles. But soon there will be significantly more genuinely sustainable products on the shelves. And that already shows the attitude of the industry from over a year ago - thanks to the pioneers!
We would like to thank UNIDO for the invitation and all panel participants for the lively discussions. Many thanks to: Dr. Olaf Deutschbein (UNIDO), Dr. Olivia Henke (Alliance for Development and Climate Foundation), Johannes Axster (Common Goal), Marcel Richert (camm solutions), Mathias Diestelmann (Brands Fashion), Simon Rasch (DFL), Gordon Knebel (1. FC Union Berlin) and Jana Reiter (plant-for-the-planet).
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