CEBIC supports conversation on sustainability in sport
From left to right: Annabel Sides from Green Planet Sport, Michael Elias from Upparel and Kate Dundas from Sustainability Victoria. The Circular Economy Business Innovation Centre (CEBIC) recently supported a conversation on sustainability in sport. The Circularity of Sport event, led by partners Green Planet Sport and Let Me Be Frank and made possible by event sponsor Game On Recycling, brought the sports industry together on Thursday 13 October at Sustainability Victoria's office.
The event was the first of its kind and brought together a cross section of Australian sports organisations, grassroots clubs and design innovators who are leading the sports industry revolution.
Session one saw a stellar lineup of speakers discuss the opportunities and challenges of working towards a reduction in waste for uniforms, merchandise and sports equipment. The speakers for this session included:
- Kate Dundas, Sustainability Victoria Acting Chief Operating Officer
- Brad Morris, MYAMI Studio Founder
- Amelia Crook, Ownershift Founder
- Michael Elias, Upparel CEO and Founder.
Industry stakeholders and partners were invited to hear about the exciting opportunities evolving in circular sports business models and design. Session 2 covered the field of play equipment with the following speakers:
- Hamish Caunter, Head of Wilson ANZ
- Fiona Young, Tennis Victoria Places to Play Manager
- Scott Bryant, City of Greater Bendigo Circular Economy Coordinator
- Warren Overton, ANZRP CEO.
Encouraging global thinking and local action, the morning was filled with presentations, candid conversations and a hands-on mini hackathon. The hackathon used a 'Wheel of Action' to show the principles of designing out waste and pollution, and keeping products and materials in use for as long as possible.
The opportunity to include and engage sporting heroes featured in many of the talks. The power of their influence helps deliver messages around adopting design models that protect the future of sport and our environment.
Many sports organisations and brands are switching from a business model underpinned by growing consumption to leading sustainable sport design. They are also working to extend the life of products and materials, while adopting upcycle and recycle practices across the industry.
Better design can unlock opportunity, reduce waste, support circular practices and embed feedback loops to put innovators on the path of continuous improvement. For example, it was noted on the day that high-performance sports clothing doesn’t need to be made from plastic as there are natural fibre options available, such as compostable cotton.
The Circularity of Sport event kicked off an important conversation about waste in the sports industry through vast amounts of play equipment, merchandise and uniforms. It is part of a global movement guided by the United Nations Sports for Climate Action Framework.
Get involved
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Emma Forster:
It's been an amazing event to have our ear to the ground and actually hear what's happening out in the industry. To take the time for people to come together, network, have a conversation. It's really important for us to listen in and broker some more collaborations and opportunities to work with others.Warren Overton:
There’s so many people in the room today who I've never met before would have never had the opportunity to meet. We got to share our experiences and I'm sure there's a whole bunch of new ideas and projects that are going to come out of today. So great opportunity.Tom Campbell:
This has been a fantastic learning opportunity for me. I was really excited to come along today and meet some industry leaders and experts who really are working at the forefront of trying to solve these problems around waste in sport.Michael Elias:
I think within sport and from a sustainability perspective, you know, the question is, whatever we're using on on the field, in training, what's happening with it at end of life? We questioned what happened to Aussie Rules football players items after they played a game. The opportunity to collect and recycle those items is just absolutely enormous. That's all the way down to the grassroots.Emma Forster:
We're moving a little bit more away from just thinking about recycled materials now and more and more around how can we redesign and think about the higher order strategies of a circular economy. So to think about design as sort of top of mind, has been really interesting.Michael Elias:
I can tell you from my boys soccer top, he's wearing that one year and the next year sponsors are changing, and so’s his number. Is the sporting club the code taking responsibility for the products that they’ve essentially made you buy?Warren Overton:
We did a mini hack on cricket gear. And the interesting thing is there's so much tradition in how we play cricket and no doubt many, many other sports and maybe questioning some of those to say, can we make some changes in how we play our games to make them more sustainable? Without destroying the game itself obviously.Emma Forster:
I think the mini hack was one of my favorite parts because everyone was actually able to think and dissect each item and have a conversation about where it goes and what it exists for.Tom Campbell:
I think we have a big responsibility as a cultural institution in Australia, the AFL and the broader sporting community, to take a leadership position and think about our impact on the planet. So, you know, it's really great to be here today and see so many leaders who are at the forefront of that change.[End Transcipt]
Visit our YouTube channel to watch a recording of the event.