Sport England / Going for Green Pledge
Stepping up the sports sector’s work in tackling climate change
Pedal for Paris
The challenge
Sport England aimed to galvanise the sport and physical activity sector to step up its work in tackling climate change.
The Insight
Research showed 40% of sports organisations were disrupted by climate change, and 80% of people wanted stronger sustainability efforts. This revealed an urgent need to mobilise grassroots clubs and large organisations to adopt greener practices and protect future participation in sports.
Watch the case study
The Solution to create Change
Pedal for Paris was an eight-day bike ride from Manchester to Paris in July 2024, to promote green action and innovation ahead of the Olympic Games in the French capital. It was led by Sport England chair Chris Boardman and aimed to galvanise the sport and physical activity sector to step up its work in tackling climate change.
To coincide with the ride, every club and community group in England was – and still is – invited to sign the Going for Green Pledge to become more sustainable.
Since the ride, Chris Boardman has been shortlisted for a BBC Green Sport Award 2024; the campaign is a finalist in the Broadcast Sport Awards 2024; and a Pedal for Paris showreel will be on display at Cop29 later this year in the UK Pavilion.
Impact
753m
combined print and online
media reach
3.3bn
potential broadcast reach
(through syndication)
200+
organisations signed the Going For Green Pledge
Awards and Coverage
The campaign was a winner at the Purpose Awards, was featured at COP 29 and was a finalist at the Sport Broadcast Awards. It was widely covered by the media including features on the BBC, Independent, itv News and The Times, amongst others.