The organisers of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow have published the event’s Sustainability Report.

This was the first time that the world governing body brought 13 individual UCI World Championships into one event.

The organisers used the UCI’s Sustainability Impact Tracker to undertake an Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) assessment mapped against the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This benchmark data, which will benefit organisers of future combined UCI Cycling World Championships, showed that the event:

  • Contributed to 14 out of 17 UN SDGs, highlighting the commitment to a sustainable approach to event delivery ;
  • Produced a carbon footprint of 61.1ktCO2e; most of these emissions fall within Scope 3 “other indirect emissions” with the biggest contributing factors being in the ‘travel’ category.

It also highlighted a number of ideas and initiatives that can be used by others to nudge sustainability further up the list of priorities. in the report was:

  • EDP (Event Delivery Partners) Sustainability Champions were appointed to implement and drive sustainability measures within each individual event;
  • An EDP Sustainability Champions network was created to share knowledge and best practice between each event;
  • A Sustainable Procurement Code raising awareness of the minimum standards expected to support sustainability, EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) and low carbon emissions ambitions was drawn up and adhered to.
  • A ‘Good Food Charter’ and a network between the event’s delivery partners were created.

The Championships’ commitment to sustainability also included social responsibility, with the report revealing:

  • 97% of people who attended the event felt it was inclusive;
  • 93% of spectators with a disability found the event to be accessible;
  • Over 90% of attendance at events were non-ticketed, facilitating greater access to watch and take part.

“Tackling climate change is one of the priorities of the UCI’s Agenda 2030, with one of our aims being to make our UCI World Championships carbon neutral or negative,” said UCI President David Lappartient.

“To do this, we need a base to work from, and I am delighted that we have a solid Sustainability Report from the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships.”

“The local organisers of last year’s inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships made great headway regarding sustainability and social responsibility, and I look forward to this momentum being continued at future UCI events.”

“The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships aimed to champion sustainability in the world of sport, and we are proud of the effort we have made to drive meaningful change,” added Local Organising Committee Chair Paul Bush.

“The Sustainability Report provides useful insight, learnings and recommendations that will help deliver sustainable events and encourage innovation in the future.”

“Collaboration and partnership were vital to achieving our sustainability objectives, and I thank everyone, from our funding partners, event delivery partners and local authority hosts to the athletes and spectators, for all their help in delivering on our ambitions.”

 

 

 

Download the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships Sustainability Report here.

 

 

 

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