Earth Day 2022 was an exciting day for many major sporting organisations when The IOC gave awards to 20 organisations for their environmental action projects. The IOC Carbon Action Awards recognise the projects that are focusing on reducing produced Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Excitingly, Starboard are proud to be working on projects with two of the award winners, World Sailing and ICF (the International Canoe Federation). Let’s take a look on what projects we are working on together…
World Sailing & The Olympic Sports Alliance On Carbon Fibre Circularity
Showcasing an innovative circular economy project from World Sailing. The project showcases that carbon fibre from disused sports equipment is usable in performance sporting products. Moreover, this project gives the material a whole new life, saving it from its unfruitful and forever-long life in a landfill. With the research showing the demand for carbon fibre will outweigh the supply in one year, this project will be a key to helping the life of sports live on. Importantly Lineat Composites are a key to help us understand how we can recycle broken iQFoil masts. Furthermore, the material will be tested by Starboard to use in our products. Upcoming plans, include having a ‘recycling drop off point’ at iQFoil event’s for any carbon fibre equipment form the iQFoil. A very exciting time!
International Canoe Federation
The Federation has undertaken many actions to understand their footprint and to reduce their footprint. Furthermore, the International Canoe Federation took Starboard onboard as their Environmental Action Partner in 2021. Since then, Starboard is consistently working with the Federation to calculate the carbon footprint of the travel. Moreover, the emissions from the World Championship Flat and White water events become carbon neutral through the planting of mangroves, over time. Additionally, each World Championship SUP event becomes 10 times carbon positive by planting 10 mangrove trees for every 1 tonne found in calculations.
IOC Carbon Action Awards Leading The Way For Change
Importantly, the 20 federations awarded with an IOC Carbon Action Award are taking vital action now. Organisations such as ICF and World Sailing are influencing others in the sporting industry to pick up their tools and get into action! Meanwhile, working with the organisations has shown the process is a challenge, a necessary one with possible solutions. Yet, identifying the challenges within a few sporting areas, gives a clearer picture. Showing that every sporting discipline will also be impacting the planet in not to dissimilar ways. Once this picture is realised, the reductive action can be put into place.
Sports are for everyone, and everyone has a tool to help the planet. These sports Federations are leading the way to help our planet breathe clearer and we thank them!
Read the full IOC Press Release here.
