Eight ways to make your sponsorship more green

2025’s winner, the Evian & Wimbledon Spectator Refill System, is a good example. It demonstrated how a smart, scalable idea can redefine an audience experience while dramatically reducing waste. Evian’s approach reflects the direction the industry is moving: greener activations, responsible materials, and long-term thinking.

The shift to sustainability isn’t without friction. Some organisations have reported a softening of environmental focus as budgets tighten, while others face criticism or activist pressure when sustainability claims don’t match reality. There are also practical barriers - cost, complexity and operational constraints - that slow adoption.

But across the sponsorship landscape, there’s clear momentum toward more sustainable practice, with brands increasingly expecting environmental commitments as part of partnerships and major events integrating greener design, energy use and waste strategies. Here are just a few ways you can help move the needle.

Design Out Waste From Day One: The most sustainable waste is the waste that never exists. Rethinking production cycles, through reusable structures, modular builds, and multi-year assets, allows sponsors to reduce reliance on short-lived materials and cut both cost and carbon. Tuborg has been a pioneer in this regard, working with major festivals in Denmark to replace disposable plastic cups with branded, reusable ones supported by on-site washing stations. Having first got involved in 2019, the brand has helped divert millions of single-use items from landfill.

Introduce Refill and Reuse Systems: Refill culture is becoming a hallmark of responsible sponsorship. Hydration points, reusable cup schemes, swap-and-return merchandise, or zero-waste hospitality can transform how fans and attendees interact with your brand. Evian isn’t alone in embracing this approach. UAE-based cricket team The Desert Vipers partnered with Bluewater to install filtered water stations and reusable bottles, eliminating thousands of single-use plastic bottles each season.

Choose Low-Impact Materials: Everything from event staging to uniforms can be more sustainable. Recycled textiles, reclaimed timber, biodegradable signage, and PVC-free substrates are increasingly accessible ways to reduce footprint without compromising impact. Adidas’ Primeblue collaboration with Parley for the Oceans uses plastic recovered from oceans to create performance kits worn by top football clubs, demonstrating how sustainable materials can sit at the heart of a sponsorship activation. In addition to reclaimed plastic, adidas has also being developing innovations such as plant-based leather and recycled cotton.

Reduce Travel Emissions: Transport is one of sponsorship’s biggest environmental challenges. Prioritising local suppliers, consolidating deliveries, using electric vehicles, or encouraging fans to take public transport can significantly lower emissions. Events such as golf’s Acciona Open de España have placed eco-mobility at the centre of their sustainability partnerships, incorporating cleaner transport, reduced travel emissions and localised sourcing. From 2021 (when Acciona took over as headline sponsor) to 2024, the event reduced CO₂ emissions per attendee by 29%.

Use Renewable or Low-Energy Power Sources: Whether powering a festival activation, a hospitality suite, or a stadium installation, switching to renewable energy or energy-efficient systems cuts environmental impact. London Stadium, home of West Ham United, has installed thousands of solar panels to power major events - providing a visible, long-term demonstration of renewable energy in action.

Activate Sustainable Behaviour Among Stakeholders: Great sponsorships influence real-world action. Employee volunteering, biodiversity projects, recycling challenges, or nudges that promote responsible consumption can engage fans and communities in a meaningful way. Liverpool FC’s ‘Red Way’ sustainability programme has significantly increased recycling rates and cut carbon emissions at matches, showing how fan engagement can drive measurable environmental outcomes. Several of Liverpool’s sponsors have bought into the club’s sustainability culture, such as SC Johnson, Quorn and Visit Maldives. LFC also has a collaboration with 1PointFive, a direct air capture company, to explore innovative carbon removal technologies and offer product options to carbon-conscious fans.

Build a Long-Term Environmental Legacy: The strongest environmental initiatives don’t end when the event does. Regeneration projects, education programmes, and infrastructure improvements ensure that a sponsorship gives back long after the branding has been packed away. For example, Ulster Gaelic Athletic Association’s Sporting Nature Project, a collaboration with the RSPB and NI Waste, supports community clubs in creating local wildlife habitats.

Measure and Report Impact Transparently: Credibility comes from accountability. Sharing measurable outcomes - waste saved, carbon reduced, behaviour changed - helps audiences understand the genuine value of sustainability efforts and raises the bar for the whole industry. In the US, The NFL’s ‘NFL Green’ programme reports on waste diversion, renewable installations and sustainability-focused fan incentives across its events, as part of its strategy to build an environmental legacy.

Final Word

As expectations rise and environmental innovation evolves, sponsorships have an unparalleled opportunity to drive real, measurable impact. Whether through refill systems, cleaner supply chains, or behaviour-changing campaigns, sponsors and rights holders can help shape a more sustainable future for communities.

The UK Sponsorship Awards is the leading awards event for the UK sponsorship business. For companies interested in entering the 2026 edition, follow this link for more details.