At The Economist Impact Annual Sustainability Week in London, Think Beyond’s Global Head of Strategy and Insight, Radha Balani, led a panel of industry leaders tackling the biggest sustainability challenges in sport.
From global events reshaping host cities to stadiums driving clean energy and sponsors delivering real innovation, the conversation focused on practical solutions and measurable impact.
Here are 10 of the best quotes from an inspiring session:
1️⃣ Adapting the Games to the City, Not the Other Way Around
Tania Braga, Director, Impact & Legacy, International Olympic Committee – IOC:
“The host territory doesn’t need to change anything to receive the Games; it’s the Games that adapt to the city. It’s this collaboration and flexibility that bring what’s needed.
“We went a long way, but there’s still more to do. Georgina and her team raised the bar. Now we need to raise the floor together. One step in this direction was working with the whole industry to improve ISO 20121 for sustainable events, so we can bring everyone along.”
2️⃣ A Systems Thinking Approach to Sustainability
Meghna Tare, Chief Sustainability Officer, FIFA World Cup Dallas 2026:
“Sustainability is a concept of systems thinking. Everything is connected…We’re working with local partners, [including] local government, non-profits and grassroots organizations to implement sustainability across the board. It’s not just about waste, water and energy; it’s also developing partnerships with the River Authority for litter cleanups or the Texas Tree Foundation to plant trees.
“Beyond offsetting the impact of the Games, these initiatives reduce the urban heat island effect. Dallas is going to get really hot in June and July so these partnerships are key to driving sustainability both for the World Cup and for long-term change.”
3️⃣ The Power of Innovation in Green Stadiums
Tanja Dik, CEO, Johan Cruyff Arena:
“The biggest innovation is our second battery nursery. The first one, built 10 years ago, used old car batteries to create a battery for our arena. Now, with a second one, we can run fully green events using solar panels on the roof and a wind turbine.
“You have to constantly keep innovating, looking at what’s happening in other stadiums, events and venues. That’s how we keep lowering our impact, because we can learn from each and every sports event or venue.”
4️⃣ Aligning Global Events with Climate Commitments
Georgina Grenon, Director of Environmental Excellence, Paris 2024 – Comité d’organisation des Jeux Olympiques et Paralympiques de 2024:
“When the Paris Games were conceived in 2015, the Paris Agreement was just signed. So it was clear that our Games had to be aligned with it. It meant that we had to cut emissions in half. There was no recipe for that. It also meant we had to offset everything else, which we did.
“We didn’t use the term ‘carbon neutral,’ because it’s not something we believe sends the right message. It makes people believe there are no emissions, but there were, we were just offsetting them. But we did secure all of our emissions.
“The main idea behind it was to be an example, to prove that it can be done. Because sports, and moreover the Games, is the world’s biggest event, and if you do something there’s a lot of people watching who can say, ‘Oh, if they did it, then maybe I can too.’”
5️⃣ Collaboration and Knowledge Transfer in Sport
Tania Braga, Director, Impact & Legacy, International Olympic Committee
“Paris proved that you can have a sports event serving only vegetarian food to spectators. It was amazing. It’s a lesson not just for sports events, but also for the catering industry on how to make vegetarian options much more attractive to the general public.”
6️⃣ Engaging Local Businesses in Sustainability Initiatives
Meghna Tare, Chief Sustainability Officer, FIFA World Cup Dallas 2026
“We’re working with the City of Dallas on a Green Business Certification program. Restaurants that adopt sustainability practices, like composting, recycling, and avoiding plastic, get featured on the FIFA app and website.
“We may even have a partnership with OpenTable so that the restaurants committing to sustainability are highlighted during the entire 56 days of the tournament. They get to be part of something bigger than just serving people.”
7️⃣Driving Innovation in Sustainable Aviation Fuel
Georgina Grenon, Director of Environmental Excellence, Paris 2024:
“Air France was one of our sponsors and they made a special deal during the Olympics and Paralympics: if you bought a ticket with them and chose to buy Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), they doubled up the amount of SAF just to promote the use of SAF. The total impact was tiny, but it’s sending a signal, showing responsibility and encouraging change.”
8️⃣ The Best Waste is the Waste You Don’t Generate
Georgina Grenon, Director of Environmental Excellence, Paris 2024:
“The best waste is the one you don’t generate. That goes from re-estimating the food you serve—though we still served 600,000 meals—or reducing single-use plastics in merchandising. By rethinking every aspect of the Games, it helped us reduce waste by 60% by weight.”
9️⃣ Leveraging Sponsorships for Sustainability Innovation
Georgina Grenon, Director of Environmental Excellence, Paris 2024:
“We wanted our sponsors to be a lot more than cheque writers. We wanted them to bring solutions, and especially new solutions at scale. Take Coca-Cola, they came up with a new drinks fountain and we were the first ones to try it. Because we asked for it, we were ready to take the risk. They deployed 700 fountains, 50 of which stayed in France. The rest are now deployed throughout Europe so you’ll see them this summer in other places.
“That’s the ripple effect of the Games to reduce single-use plastics elsewhere thanks to this new technology. And it wasn’t just big brands. A smaller company called Lyreco, a French SME, became a sponsor because they could rent us office furniture and take it back to launch the first secondhand furniture market in France. So, it’s not just about publicity. It’s creating an entirely new business model because the Games normalised sustainability.”
🔟 The Boldness to Stand for Your Ambition
Tanja Dik, CEO, Johan Cruyff Arena:
“It comes down to boldness and standing for your ambition. If you set your goal further than where you actually want to go, that’s where real progress starts.”
To round things off, Radha Balani summed up the session perfectly:
“The level of detail and data these four incredible leaders shared is the biggest reassurance that there’s no greenwashing here…just real commitments.
“It gives me hope that sport can go green for good. But it can’t do it alone. It takes innovation, collaboration, credibility, and above all, leadership.”
If you’re interested in embedding sustainability at the heart of your organization, feel free to reach out to Radha Balani.
