The EOC EU Office, coordinator of the OCEAN Project, proudly announces a significant milestone: the 18 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) involved in the project have measured their carbon footprint for the baseline year 2022 and committed to reducing their impact on climate change. Supported by the Öko-Institut, this marks the first step in a collective effort to tackle the challenges of climate change within sports.
The comparative analysis of the NOCs’ footprint, available here, highlights the primary sources of emission for the 18 NOCs, from transport, event organisation or energy consumption to procurement or commuting.
This process is more than a measurement, it is a commitment to action. Each NOC is now working toward adopting a carbon footprint reduction strategy by April 2025, aligned with the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework (S4CA), supported by the International Olympic Committee. The process has included specialised training for the ‘Climate Action Officers’ of each NOC on climate change; measures to reduce the impact of transport or procurement; or communication about sustainability.
As the OCEAN project enters its final phase, project partners want to ensure that the knowledge extends beyond NOCs and organise regular workshops and presentations in local sport organisations, but also schools and communities across Europe. To empower all sport organisations, the OCEAN Project is developing free tools and resources designed with and tested by the 18 NOCs. These include:
These resources will be freely available through the OCEAN Toolbox platform, making it easier for sport organisations to measure, reduce, and act on their carbon footprints.
The results and upcoming tools were presented during the webinar “Reducing Sport Organisations’ Carbon Footprint: Understanding Our Starting Point and Getting Ready for Climate Action” on 26 November. The OCEAN Project invites all sport organisations to join the movement, access the resources, and become agents of change.
On 17 September, the OCEAN Consortium gathered for the second Peer-to-Peer roundtable on their carbon footprint reduction strategies, followed by Module 4 of the Training Course, with sessions taking place on 19, 23 and 24 September.
On 17 September, the OCEAN Consortium convened online for the second Peer-to-Peer roundtable. Once again, the session proved to provide a valuable platform for Climate Action Officers to exchange ideas and gather peer feedback. It commenced with an overview of NOCs’ state progress in drafting their carbon footprint reduction strategies, followed by the presentation from 6 Climate Action Officers (from NOC Czech Republic, France, Luxembourg, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium and Romania). The roundtable highlighted common challenges faced by NOCs, primarily related to transport, events, procurement and the energy consumption of their facilities. Another widely shared concern was the challenge of persuading leadership and colleagues of the importance of sustainable actions and motivating them to implement behavioural changes to effectively reduce their carbon footprint.
Module 4 of the Training Course, delivered in a three-session format, addressed two of the most critical challenges identified by Climate Action Officers during the Peer-to-Peer Roundtable, focusing on sustainable transport and procurement policies.
The first two sessions, held on 19 and 23 September, delved into sustainable transport policy. These sessions featured presentations on key initiatives undertaken by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and NOC Denmark aimed at implementing efficient travel policies, followed by an inspiring presentation from the International Biathlon Union (IBU) on their transport policy implementation. These insights helped Climate Action Officers gain a clear understanding of the essential steps required to establish a transport policy, including the identification of key stakeholders and the formulation of guiding principles. Through individual and group reflection, they also identified practical measures to reduce transport-related emissions without disrupting the operations of their NOC. Alongside discussions on travel policies, participants were introduced to Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), with an in-depth analysis of the significant challenges that must be addressed for SAF to become a viable sustainable alternative in aviation. The complexity of transitioning to SAF underlined the importance of even the smallest actions taken in the present moment in contributing to the reduction of the carbon footprint.
On 24 September, the focus shifted towards sustainable procurement policy. An insightful presentation by Ben Barrett, sustainability consultant, revealed positive social, ethical and economic outcomes of sustainable procurement sourcing. Through workshops, Climate Action Officers were provided with the tools and frameworks necessary to design an effective procurement strategy, with an emphasis on establishing guiding principles aligned with their sustainability goals.
NOCs are now expected to continue developing their carbon reduction strategies, with adoption scheduled for Spring 2025. The Consortium’s collaborative efforts will resume in November with the next Peer-to-Peer Roundtable, concluding 2024 with the second Project Meeting and Module 5 of the Training Course in Prague.
The 4th Consortium Call took place on 2nd July. The EOC EU Office organised this online conference to set up a feedback session on the various actions that have been implemented since the third Consortium Call in January and to give a summary of the tasks that would be coming up.
The 18 NOCs received feedback from the Öko-Institut on the carbon footprint results and the upcoming tool. The OCEAN management team presented its approach to help Climate Action Officers obtain support from their leadership and NOC president in implementing their carbon footprint reduction strategy.
The Consortium will meet again after the Games with many meetings planned before the end of 2024. The second peer to peer roundtable on reduction strategies will be held online on 17September, followed by the Module 4 of the Training Course and the EOC Seminar. The consortium will meet again in Prague for the second Project Meeting and Module 5 of the Training Course in December. A webinar for NOCs Presidents, a workshop on the Pool of Actions and bilateral calls will also be organised before the end of 2024.
In the meantime, Climate Action Officers have been asked to continue drafting their carbon footprint reduction strategies, the adoption of which is scheduled for Spring 2025.
On 18 June, the OCEAN Project Consortium gathered online for the first peer-to-peer roundtable.
Climate Action Officers presented the state of their carbon footprint reduction strategy. This collaborative opportunity aimed to draw inspiration from others and get feedback from peers to move forward in this process. This session highlighted the common challenges faced by the NOCs and raised awareness of the range of measures that can be implemented at national level.
Congratulations to the 18 NOCs for their progress and commitment to reducing sport's carbon footprint. A second roundtable will be held in September.
On 13 May, the 4th seminar on carbon footprint measurement was held online by the Öko-Institut to discuss advancements and challenges in measuring the carbon emissions of NOCs. In addition to discussions on the scope and results of footprint measurement, valuable inputs on carbon compensation and offsetting were presented, helping NOCs work on their reduction strategies.
Tobias Wagner from the Öko-Institut kicked off the seminar with an overview of the project's phases over the past months. Two months after the meeting in Lausanne, Climate Action Officers have had the opportunity to raise any remaining questions on the scope and results of their carbon footprint measurement. Tobias Wagner presented updates to the Excel tool, which has been improved to fit better with users’ feedback. The updated tool will be available for NOCs in the Autumn, while the online tool will be ready by the end of the year.
As the NOCs started to draft their carbon reduction strategies, the inputs on carbon compensation and offsetting presented by Martin Cames from the Öko-Institut have been valuable information to help the Climate Action Officer in this process. He discussed the broader context of climate responsibility versus climate compensation and highlighted the challenges involved in purchasing offset credits and the risk of greenwashing. In fact, he warned the Climate Action Officers about the reliability of re-forestation projects in terms of offsetting and advised that these kinds of projects should be approached with caution when used as offsetting mechanisms.
The NOCs are now expected to develop their reduction strategies, the adoption of which is scheduled for Spring 2025. Seminar 5 will be held online in Autumn 2024, followed by Module 5 and a project meeting in Prague in December.
The 18 Climate Action Officers engaged in the OCEAN Project started to develop their NOC’s carbon footprint reduction strategy, during a 3-day meeting in Lausanne.
From 18 to 21 March, the Climate Action Officers from the 18 partner National Olympic Committees (NOC) met in Lausanne to assess the progress made and acknowledge the first successes, one year after the launch of the OCEAN project (Olympic Committees of Europe Approaching Carbon Neutrality).
The 18 Climate Action Officers discovered their organisation's carbon footprint after working together with the Öko-Institut on the measurement over the last twelve months. It allowed them to understand their main sources of emissions and to engage in several discussion rounds with the Öko-Institut and Julie Duffus, from the IOC, on how NOCs can move forward in their transition and join the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework. After learning about the main steps of the carbon reduction process, the NOCs’ Climate Action Officers reflected on potential objectives to set and measures to take.
Jon Wyatt’s shared experience as Sports Director at the International Hockey Federation (FIH), managing his organisation's sustainability department gave the OCEAN Consortium valuable information to consider on how to manage the process of implementing a carbon reduction strategy. On this basis, Climate Action Officers were fully equipped to start drafting their carbon footprint reduction strategy.
The results of the NOCs’ carbon footprint measurement will be shared publicly in the course of this Spring, following which the Online Tool for carbon footprint measurement will be revealed to the public at the end of the year. In the meantime, Climate Action Officers are to finalise their NOC’s carbon footprint reduction strategy. The OCEAN Project will conclude in April 2025.
The third Consortium Call took place on January 23. The EOC EU Office organised this online conference to set up a feedback session on the various actions that have been implemented since the second Consortium Call in November and to give a summary of the tasks that would be coming up.
The Öko-Institut has presented the progress made in collecting data from each NOC. It should be submitted, reviewed and finalised before the next step of the OCEAN project, scheduled in Lausanne at the ANOC and IOC Headquarters from 18 to 21 March. Module 3 of the Training Course aims to enable NOCs to understand their carbon footprint, using the data analysis provided by the Öko-Institut and thereby start to elaborate a carbon reduction strategy.
In the meantime, Climate Action Officers will be asked to share some examples of good practices that they may have already implemented within their organisation.
On 12 December, the 3rd Online Seminar focusing on Carbon Footprint measurement occurred, led by OCEAN's scientific partner, Öko-Institut. The primary goal was to unveil the initial findings of the carbon footprint measurement, fostering a platform for Climate Action Officers to engage in discussions and share experiences related to gathering essential data within their NOC. Partner NOCs are in the final stages of data collection, while Öko-Institut is completing the reception process, poised to integrate the data for the comprehensive finalization of the measurement tool by the NOCs.
Following an overview of the data collection status provided by the Öko-Institut, partner NOCs were given the chance to exchange insights on their respective experiences with the data collection process. The consortium addressed key queries, including: 1) Assessing the level of effort involved in data collection; 2) Identifying aspects that were relatively straightforward during the process; 3) Highlighting challenges encountered in data collection; and 4) Proposing potential enhancements for the measurement tool.
Climate Action Officers stated to have provided more effort than expected on the data collection process due to the proportion and variety of data to collect. The consortium encountered obstacles regarding the calculation of the data, for which the use of online platforms was identified as a potential solution, especially regarding indicators for commuting. More importantly, Climate Action Officers were recommended to use estimates of travels and roughly compile reported numbers, rather than seeking the exact detailed data. To improve the measurement tool, partner NOCs will use a collaborative document for options for improvements regarding the data collection. The consortium was overall confident about future measurements (i.e. for 2024) as they are now equipped with adequate processes and tools to collect the necessary data within their NOC.
During the concluding part of the meeting, the Öko-Institut delivered an overview of the initial findings from the carbon footprint measurement, encompassing an overview of relevant terms within the context of carbon footprint assessment, along with a discussion on methodological choices and their implications. The conclusive results of this measurement are slated for presentation in March 2024, during Module 3 of the Training Course in Lausanne.
The final words of the meeting were dedicated to set the next steps of the project. The OCEAN consortium will convene virtually in January 2024, anticipating the forthcoming in-person meeting scheduled for March 2024 to kick off Module 3 of the Training Course for Climate Action Officers.
Following the first Module that took place in February in Brussels,, the 18 Climate Action Officers attended the second Module of the ‘Climate Action in Sport’ Training Course of the OCEAN Project online, which focused on their role and empowerment within their respective organisations.
During the first session, the Climate Action Officers received feedback and advice from experienced sustainability officers in charge of the green transition of their sports organisations.
Among them:
🔹 Bianca Quardokus, Sport Facilities, Environment and Sustainability Officer at the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB);
🔹 Trine Keinicke Sørensen and Lasse Lyck from the NOC and Sports Confederation of Denmark (DIF);
🔹 Marleen Wielemaker, Programme Manager Sustainability at the Dutch Olympic Committee*Dutch Sports Federation (NOC*NSF);
🔹 Warwick Waters, Head of Advocacy and Stakeholders Engagement at the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC);
🔹 Riikka Rakic, Head of Sustainability at the International Biathlon Union (IBU);
🔹 Jamie McKeown, Sustainability, Diversity & Inclusion Manager at World Rugby.
In a panel discussion, the speakers first presented their academic and professional backgrounds and then addressed various topics relevant to the successful completion of their missions as Climate Action Officers, such as: staff and board engagement, dedicated budget for sustainability/climate, internal and external communication, and tips for accurate carbon footprint measurement.
Based on this feedback and their personal experience, the participants were able to draw up a detailed description of the role of the Climate Action Officers in working groups (see here). To conclude, participants had the opportunity to share the first actions they implemented within their NOCs since the end of Module 1 of the OCEAN project, based on the pledges made while in Brussels (see here).
The second session was led by Matthew Campelli, Sustainability Director of Touchline and seasoned consultant on sustainability for sport organisations. In a session on the do’s and don’ts of strategic communication on sustainability, Climate Actions Officers discussed in groups the right approach to internal and external stakeholders of the NOCs, whose engagement in climate action is necessary for a credible carbon footprint reduction strategy. Participants were also asked to draft a concrete communication plan for their NOC in the framework of the OCEAN project.
The third and last session was dedicated to staff engagement and empowerment activities, with general tips as to how to build and carry messages to convince internal stakeholders to engage in climate action. This was followed by an experience-sharing on concrete activities that can be implemented within the organisation.
🔹 Lise Van Long, Sustainability Manager at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) gave an overview of the IOC Sustainability Strategy implemented since 2017, and then presented some concrete activities put in place to engage IOC staff and board members (e.g. Green Week, carbon budget for travelling).
Partner NOCs (especially NOC Denmark, NOC Bosnia and Herzegovina, NOC Romania and NOC Slovakia) then presented the in-house trainings and presentations already done with their staff and directors since the beginning of the project.
Module 3 of the Training Course for Climate Action Officers will take place at the IOC and ANOC Headquarters in Lausanne in Spring 2024. Until then, the carbon footprint measurement process will start with the data collection and Seminars provided by the Öko-Institut to support Climate Action Officers.
The OCEAN Management Team congratulates all 18 Climate Action Officers for their commitment to making our sport more sustainable!
Following the Kick-off meeting, the 18 Climate Action Officers attended their first session of the ‘Climate Action in Sport’ Training Course of the OCEAN Project in Brussels.
For two days, the Climate Action Officers participated in interactive workshops on climate change and sport, and heard presentations from speakers engaged in the green transition of sport.
🔹 Tobias Wagner, Researcher at the Öko-Institut, introduced the German National Olympic Committee’s carbon footprint measurement process and offered an introductive course to climate change.
🔹 Isabelle Jean, Director of the Mobilisation Unit at WWF France, presented the study "Climate change: The world of sports at +2°C and +4°C" and showed how sports practices and infrastructure are and will be impacted by climate change.
🔹 Julie Duffus, Sustainability Senior Manager at the International Olympic Committee (IOC), presented IOC’s climate reduction plan as well as the United Nations Sports for Climate Action Framework as a practical way for National Olympic Committees (NOC) to engage more towards sustainability. She also focused on the importance of NOCs leadership’s commitment and the necessity to determine the scope of actions as the two main first steps of any strategic approach to sustainability.
🔹 Fabrizio D'Angelo, Sustainability Manager at the IOC, presented the IOC’s carbon footprint and provided some guidance on NOCs carbon footprint measurement, based on the GHG Protocol Standard and the3 scopes system.
As part of the interactive workshops, Climate Action Officers took part in the “Climate Fresk”, a participative game facilitated by the EOC EU Office, and worked together in groups on concrete actions that they could implement as individuals, as well as NOCs. The following questions were tackled: what needs to be done, and can how NOCs proceed?
These collaborative sessions led to very promising pledges and ideas of action at both individual and organisational levels. To know more, please see the figures below.
The Training Course will be organised in 5 modules between now and the end of the carbon footprint measurement process in December 2024.
Module 2 of the Training Course for Climate Action Officers will take place online from the 18th to the 21st of April 2023.
The OCEAN Management Team congratulates all 18 Climate Action Officers for their commitment to making our sport more sustainable!
