The Sustainability Working Group was established in February 2023 to propose strategies, policies, rules and recommendations that empower the Federation and its Member Associations to implement sustainability best practices and actions in alignment with the Federation’s strategic goals.

Based on the analytical work from the Group and backed by the Board, the Federation became a signatory of the Sports for Climate Action Framework in September 2023.

The Framework is an initiative of United Nations Climate Change that aims to support and guide sports actors in achieving global climate change goals.

Since its formation, over 250 sports organisations signed the Framework, including several international federations in the winter Olympic Movement.

About becoming a signatory of the Framework, Beau Welling, World Curling Federation President, said “At World Curling, our vision is to make the world a better place by growing our sport and expanding our culture and values worldwide. This includes making planet-conscious decisions about our sport in general and our events in particular. Signing the Sports for Climate Action Framework is one step in this direction, to be followed by many more.”

Kim Forge, World Curling Federation Sustainability Working Group Chair, said “Our group’s mandate is to propose recommendations that empower the Federation and its Member Associations to implement good practices with regards to sustainability. We hope that we can inspire many of our members to investigate the Sports for Climate Action Framework and pledge to operate in a more sustainable way.”

As part of the Federation’s commitment to ongoing climate action and broader sustainability initiatives, it has partnered with Sporting Giants, a specialist sport and sustainability consultancy.

Sporting Giants has decades of experience in working with sporting organisations and supporting them in their mission to reduce their carbon emissions.

About working with Sporting Giants, Kim Forge said, “With their help, we are building the Federation’s first-ever sustainability strategy, which is a very exciting and important project for the Group. Within this process, we are identifying areas where the Federation can make a significant positive impact and we will build our sustainability actions accordingly. This is an opportunity to motivate and inspire large numbers of people to contribute actively to a more sustainable future.”

About working with World Curling, Scott Over, Sporting Giants CEO, said “We have a broad portfolio of international federations and events that we work with. In many cases, collective action accelerates innovation and positive change. Adding the World Curling Federation to the roster alongside other ice sports supports this mission and allows the Federation to take a leadership position in the winter sport community by protecting the future of the sport for generations to come.”

Dan Reading, Sporting Giants Chief Sustainability Officer, added “Sporting Giants has begun work with the World Curling Federation to create an ambitious sustainability strategy with both short-term and long-term goals based on issues and opportunities that the sport faces. The strategy will be mapped with key stakeholders and the curling community whilst identifying strategic partners to assist in the delivery.”

To view the original article, visit https://worldcurling.org/2024/01/swg-2023/