Case study: SailGP puts sustainability in the centre of its sport

SailGP, the professional Sailing Grand Prix has taken the initiative to put sustainability at the centre of its sport with its SailGP Impact League.

Digital Nation Australia spoke to Fiona Morgan, global director of purpose and impact at SailGP on how the league is driving sustainability through its partners, sponsors and athletes.

She said, “We wanted our athletes to realise they have to be more than just athletes on the water, they had to be athletes at sustainability. Driving the DEI agenda, driving environmental sustainability, and reducing their carbon footprint on the world. We set up a league to incentivise that behaviour, that's where it was born.

“We're in our second season and it's the first-ever sport in the world to embed sustainable action into the rules.”

SailGP teams are judged on a wide variety of criteria to make sure they are being as sustainable as possible.

Morgan said, “We have an external auditor, who sits and goes through data. Say I'm the Australian team, after the event we've just done in France, they'll provide us files and data to prove what they've been doing.

“If I showed you an audit, I think you'd be shocked how extensive it is, how much we ask from them. We ask them to eat over half plant-based meals at every event, we audit them with their flight data about how many miles are flying, how much fuel they're using.”

Morgan explained that the auditors see where the large carbon footprints are and they are being reduced each time they hold an event.

Another important aspect is engaging the fans, Morgan said.

“For fans, how do we take this outside? How do we engage our fans, the Impact League and simplify it and incentivise them? We're looking at that at the moment, but that will be season four and season five,” she added.