ukactive has today (28 November) announced the launch of Sustainable Futures, a programme designed to support the physical activity sector’s transition to net zero.
Energy usage and sustainability present one of the biggest challenges facing the sector and ukactive has been working with partners across industries to support its members on their journey towards decarbonisation, helping them to reduce their energy costs in the short- and long-term.
Climate change is a global threat and in the UK the Climate Change Act commits the Government by law to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 100% of 1990 levels (net zero) by 2050. Many local authorities have committed to reach net zero sooner, by 2030.
Sustainable Futures mirrors the blueprint of ukactive’s Digital Futures programme which has been supporting operators to improve their digital strategies and services over the past three years.
The multi-year programme will focus on providing educational resources and tools to support ukactive members of all sizes to make informed decisions that will both reduce their carbon footprint and their energy costs.
The Sustainable Futures Steering Group has been established to guide the development and rollout of the programme and is made up of operators from both the public and private sectors, sector suppliers, and external experts from organisations including Ofgem, Sport England and Net Zero Hubs.
The group will help to progress the agenda, share learning, inform lobbying, improve education, measure progress, and ultimately, to accelerate change.
A new survey has also been launched today, asking organisations a series of questions designed to establish the potential for an ‘energy basket’ which would allow operators to group together to achieve greater savings on their energy costs.
The programme forms part of ukactive’s ongoing work to drive change. Last month, ukactive hosted a special event which brought together energy experts and members of the ukactive Strategic Partners Group to discuss the challenges and share best practices.
The event followed October’s launch of a new educational resource for the sector, the SECC Resource Hub, which was conceived by ukactive, the British Association for Sustainable Sport (BASIS) and sector partners, as part of the Sport Environment and Climate Coalition’s ongoing commitment to drive change.
ukactive has also been working with the pan-European consortium, Green Sports Hub Europe, to identify barriers in sustainability in sport and physical activity, sharing knowledge and research findings with global partners.
Recent months have also seen intense lobbying from ukactive based on its Energy Risk Register, which has been recording the risk status of the sector’s facilities and services based on ongoing cost pressures caused by the global energy crisis.
Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive, said: “The UK’s physical activity sector has become one of the most innovative and resilient markets in the world; home to some of the most forward-thinking organisations on the planet – and in this respect, it has all the characteristics to take on the huge environmental challenge facing us today.
“The UK Government has set a target for decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy to meet its net zero target by 2050 and the physical activity sector has a major role to play.
“Our ambition is to drive environmental standards for the sector in the same way we are driving standards for health and safety, digital transformation, and inclusion and diversity.
“Our Sustainable Futures programme will bring together the organisations, experts and resources to support our sector’s facilities, manufacturers and supply chains to put decarbonisation at the heart of their strategies for growth.”
To complete the Energy Basket survey, click here.
If you work for an energy supplier that would like to support this work, please email ukactive’s Head of Membership Experience, Danny Melling, at: [email protected]