IBU publishes Sustainability Report 2022

The IBU today published its second annual sustainability report, tracking progress toward its vision of becoming leader in promoting sustainability in sport by 2026 and becoming climate neutral by 2030.

The report, found here, measures progress against a total of 57 targets for 2030 across the IBU’s five sustainability focus areas: climate, sport, and venue & event, people and communication & awareness.

With climate a key focus, the report summarises the IBU’s overall carbon footprint for the season 2021/2022, including all IBU event series and all IBU organisers reporting the results of their own CO2 measurements for the first time using a tool shared by the IBU.

The report highlights that 2022 was a year of partnership and collaboration as the IBU worked with various stakeholders to find solutions to common sustainability challenges. Examples include:

• Viessmann becoming IBU’s Climate Partner and joining the 2nd Biathlon Climate Challenge that led to the planting of 50’000 trees. Viessmann also collaborated with the IBU on detailed venue energy efficiency analysis and a survey of energy consumption of technical power providing recommendations.

• IBU becoming a founding member of an alliance supporting a prototype project to reuse carbon fibres. Coordinated by the World Sailing Trust, the alliance’s contributing members include World Sailing, the IBU, and Wilson Sporting Goods, supported by the IOC, International Tennis Federation and UCI as well as several equipment manufacturers such as IBU’s partner OneWay.

• IBU joining the GAMES project (Green Approaches in Management for Enhancing Sports)– an EU Erasmus+ funded initiative where the IBU is working with World Athletics, the International and Swedish Floorball Federations to explore practices to mitigate climate change and promote decarbonisation, with a focus on events. The 2.5-year project is coordinated by the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies of Pisa, Italy.

• IBU joining forces with the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) to stage an inaugural Gender Equity Forum with 90 participants from 36 national federations.

IBU President Olle Dahlin said:

“In 2022, the IBU focused on implementing its sustainability strategy through collaborations. This key theme of our sustainability report demonstrates that if we are to achieve our goals, we must all work together and play our part. Moreover, by working with like-minded partners from science, business and sports, projects are more likely to be implemented and advanced, initiatives become more impactful through increased reach, and effects multiply beyond what one organisation could achieve on its own. There is more we need to do, but we are confident that as we continue to build awareness and engagement, we will achieve our ambitious sustainability targets.”

After approving the report, the IBU Executive Board further appointed the IBU Sustainability Commission to ensure that sustainability is fully integrated within the IBU’s governance structure. The Commission comprises members from seven National Federations, who will advise the IBU Executive Board on the development and implementation of the IBU’s Sustainability Strategy 2020-2030. It is also responsible for proposing strategies, policies, rules and recommendations that empower the IBU and its National Federations to implement sustainability best practices and actions in alignment with the IBU’s strategic commitments and goals.