World Rugby has published its impact report from last year’s Rugby World Cup, which, for the first time, includes Environmental, as well as Economic, and Social impacts.
From the initial bid process in 2017, France 2023 maintained a strong environmental ambition, an approach driven by 54 per cent of spectators’ expectations that the tournament’s organisers would reduce its environmental impact.
Using methodology provided by the French Ministry of Sports and data from the Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME), the total event’s carbon footprint has been estimated at 830,000 tons of CO2 equivalent.
By attracting rugby fans from around the world, Rugby World Cup 2023 is deemed ‘responsible’ for indirect emissions, which make up a majority of the tournament’s carbon footprint; 86 per cent of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions came from international visitors’ travel.
While significant, the footprint is estimated to be 3.4 times less than that of the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament (also organised in France within similar venues) and 4.4 times less than that of the FIFA Qatar 2022 World Cup.
The total could have been higher without the transformative efforts taken by organisers highlighted in the report.
The use of existing facilities and infrastructures for all tournament operations was a key decision that helped keep emissions to the lowest possible early in the planning phase.
The tournament did not require any new construction, and all tournament venues, from stadiums to team base camps, were repurposed for the event, including the international broadcast and media centres at Roland Garros in Paris.
With transport responsible for 94 per cent of all emissions, France 2023 strongly focused on low-carbon mobility plans for teams and fans within France.
The report lauds the policies implemented, including the decision to require participating teams to travel by train or bus for all journeys under five and a half hours.
56 percent of all teams’ mileage was done via train and bus—80 percent of all journeys—and there was an emphasis on rail and public transport for fans travelling within France and its host cities.
As such, 84 per cent of in-city fan travel was also undertaken via low-carbon mobility (public transport, walking, or cycling), compared to an average of 39 per cent for the French population using this kind of mobility daily, showcasing how the Rugby World Cup can positively influence behavioural changes.
World Rugby also implemented initiatives to decrease the carbon footprint of its own operations, starting with the host broadcast operation.
Everything was designed to minimise carbon emissions, from remote production to the optimization of truck movements and the use of local crews. The use of 100 per cent biofuel made from rapeseed oil to feed the secondary generators at match venues permitted a 64 per cent reduction of emissions compared to traditional fuels.
For the remainder of the carbon emissions that could not be reduced further, France 2023 has launched a call for tender to find carbon sink projects to help them absorb part of the emissions the tournament is responsible for.
Identifying only national and international projects labelled “Gold Standard” or “Verra Standard”, the programme has been collectively funded by a range of stakeholders, including France 2023, World Rugby, the metropolis of Lyon and other sponsors. It is expected that 100,000 tons of CO2 equivalent will be absorbed through that programme.
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