SYDNEY (Australia) - The ambition for the 19th edition of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2022 was to deliver the most sustainable event since inception and create a Sustainability Blueprint Framework from the learnings for future events as a part of its Legacy.

Melissa King, Chief Executive of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) has announced that the post-event materiality assessment has been completed by Pangolin Associates who have found the event created unavoidable emissions of 14,062 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. The LOC has purchased the equivalent offsets through verified and impactful carbon offsets projects to deliver a carbon neutral event.

"We could not have achieved this without the contributions from ticket buyers, FIBA, the Australian Government, participating Team Delegations, our staff and volunteers," said King. 

FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis said: "FIBA is proud of this achievement and congratulates the LOC for setting such high standards in this area. Building on the blueprint and as a signatory of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Sports for Climate Action initiative, we look forward to continuing this work and reducing our carbon footprint at future events."

Minister for Sport Anika Wells said: "The Australian Government proudly supported the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, which exceeded expectations. Being a carbon neutral event is an outstanding achievement."

Australian Opals squad member Marianna Tolo threw her support behind the FIBA Women's World Cup 2022 Sustainability Program in the lead up to the event 

The Sustainability Program had three focus areas – reducing environmental impacts, sourcing responsibly and inspiring and educating. Each of these areas achieved positive results including:

•   90% of attendees used the train to come to the games thanks to free travel provided by NSW Government as part of the ticket purchase.

•   12 tonnes of material was recovered from the total waste generated during the event and sent for recycling, upcycling or composting.

•   The event branding suppliers included a post-event disposal solution as part of their proposal resulting in fabric banners being repurposed in the making of new mattresses and posters made of polypropylene returned to the supplier to be converted back into beads for use in new products – a great example of circular economy.

•   More difficult items to recycle such as leftover lanyards were recycled through Terracycle, an innovative recycling organization offering solutions for hard-to-recycle materials.

•   95% of food packaging was certified compostable, meaning these items could be placed in the organic bin for composting.

•   The proximity between all event sites reduced the need for vehicles and increased pedestrian mobility.

The legacy documentation from the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2022 will be made available for all future hosts as well as other major event organizers in Australia. 

FIBA