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Birmingham 2022
Telling the story of the ‘most sustainable’ Commonwealth Games
We produced the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Sustainability Report to showcase the environmental legacy of the major multi-sport event
Challenge
To address concerns about the environmental impact of major sporting events as well as ensuring a positive economic and sporting legacy, the Birmingham 2022 organising committee developed a comprehensive environmental programme with specific objectives and KPIs. Alongside this, they aimed to leave a lasting legacy for the city and broader region.
Effectively communicating sustainability efforts in the face of the perception that major sporting events are not environmentally friendly, and dealing with complex and abstract information, presented a challenge. Our role was to produce a robust and engaging report that not only established credibility but also resonated with the organising committee’s target audience.
Solution
In our approach to the project, two essential elements were prioritised to meet the criteria. Firstly, we crafted a story-led report, highlighting the contributions of individuals and organisations that minimised the Games’ environmental impact. Secondly, we ensured authenticity and transparency, acknowledging both challenges and successes, aiming to help future event hosts improve and learn.
To achieve this, we featured narratives about volunteers involved in the urban forestry project that benefited the West Midlands communities and University of Birmingham students who monitored air quality for athletes and support teams. We provided insight into sustainability partners like Severn Trent and CSM Live, as well as the Canal & River Trust, which cleared 22 miles of canals before the Games.
Maintaining authenticity and transparency, we devoted segments to articulating challenges alongside successes. A page was dedicated to lessons learned by the sustainability team. We also explained the shift from labelling the Games as ‘carbon neutral’ to a more nuanced and accurate ‘carbon neutral legacy,’ with a comprehensive section on carbon reduction strategies and a GRI table.
“Touchline Earth worked closely with us to develop our post-Games Sustainability Report and they were enthusiastic and responsive throughout. Their experience really helped to tell our story in an engaging way – balancing the need for credible detail and engaging narrative. They worked collaboratively with our sustainability team and helped ensure we got a variety of different voices throughout the report, from athletes and spectators to our executive committee. We were really pleased with the final result and hope it acts as a valuable resource for future events.”
/ Jessica Fidler, Head of Sustainability, Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games
