YOUR HEADING HERE10.05.2011

The view of Sport sector towards ISO20121 and Return on Investment in Sustainability November 2013

Aim of the Project

• Measure the financial benefits/ ROI to organisations who have either:

o implemented ISO20121;o taken steps towards ISO20121; or o adopted any alternative sustainability strategy

Methodology

• Information collected from 8 participants• Survey followed by 1-to-1 Interview• Categories of sporting event venues:o a ‘one off sporting event’o multi use venues o venues used predominately for sport or

largely associated with one sport / brand

Definitions

• ‘Sustainability strategy’ refers to an organisational process or group of initiatives that aim to enhance social welfare or reduce environmental impacts

• ‘Return on investment’ refers to the financial benefits derived from a sustainability initiative for a particular period compared with cost of implementing the measure

Key Drivers

Cost Reduction Reputational Enhancement Management of Environmental Impacts0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

The Key Drivers for Implementing a Sustainability Strategy

Perc

enta

ge (%

)

Benefits

Reduced Costs Enhanced Brand Image Improved Stakeholder Engagement

Improved Supply Chain Management

Improved Understanding of Legal Compliance Issues

0

20

40

60

80

100

What Benefits has your Organisation Experienced as a Result of its Sustainability Strategy?

Perc

enta

ge (%

)

Barriers

Lack of Budget Lack of Senior Support Lack of Stakeholder Pressure

Difficulty Demonstrating Value of Sustainability

Lack of Understanding on where Sustainability fits into Broader Strategy

0

20

40

60

80

100

What are the Barriers to Advancing Sustainability in your Organ-isation?

Perc

enta

ge (%

)

Technical data

Dedica

ted Budge

t for S

ustainab

ility

Dedica

ted Fu

ll-Tim

e Employe

e to Su

stainab

ility

Susta

inabilit

y Consid

ered M

inimum Bi-A

nnually a

t Board

Leve

l

Susta

inabilit

y Rep

ort Pro

duced0

20

40

60

80

100

Technicals

Perc

enta

ge (%

)

Some Observations

• The drivers for multi use venues are stronger than for predominantly sport venues due to greater competitive pressure and lower brand loyalty

• Focus across the board is largely on the environment; lack of initiatives on sustainability strategy, partly due to difficulty in measuring ROI and demonstrating value

Where is the Value?

• Cost reduction from resource management-for example Millenium Stadium savings of £217000 from removing water heaters

• Stakeholder engagement, particularly in terms of employee ownership/staff retention, stakeholder loyalty & attracting new customers

• Legal compliance and better supply chain management were notable benefits resulting from adopting a sustainability strategy

London 2012 Olympics

• Reaffirmed the marketing value of sustainability leadership and opportunity for reputation enhancement

• Controversial credentials but by and large put sustainability on the map for sporting sector

• ISO20121 important part of its legacy, potential for it to become a prerequisite of sporting event contracts

ISO20121

• Beginning to proliferate – over half the participants were either accredited or in the process of implementing the standard

• International recognition is attractive but not necessarily associated with sustainability leadership

• Serves to give a clearer idea of how sustainability fits within an organisation’s broader strategy

Get involved!

• Please contact me:colleen.theron@clt-envirolaw.com

• Or +44(0)7714979936 if you want to get involved in a broader study on this

www.clt-envirolaw.com