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Sustainability

Sustainability

Inspiring and delivering innovation in mass participation event sustainability

As organiser of the Standard Chartered Great City Race, London Marathon Events is proud to lead the way in showing the power of mass participation sport as a force for good, and of the hugely positive effects our events have had on millions of people since the first London Marathon in 1981.

Our events have a proven track record of inspiring activity, improving physical and mental health and bringing communities together – raising billions of pounds for charities and supporting local businesses in the process.


Our objective

‘To drive positive change in environmental sustainability through our own actions and inspire our stakeholders and partners to do the same.’

Environmental sustainability is one of our group objectives – and since 2019 we have focused on measuring and continuously reviewing our impacts to inform our decisions. To find out more, read our environmental policy.

Some of the things we're doing at the 2022 Standard Chartered Great City Race

Emissions

  • Event power: this will be provided through mains electricity, eliminating the use of generators for temporary power.
  • Bike park: travel to and from our events is one of our biggest environmental impacts, and we encourage all event participants to take public transport or cycle where possible. At this year's Standard Chartered Great City Race we will have an onsite bike park for those wishing to cycle to the event.
  • Event logistics: this year we will have an electric buggy to facilitate onsite logistics.


Waste and circularity

  • Waste stations: there will be two dedicated waste stations at the event venue. Here, participants can hand in their waste to be sorted and disposed of in the correct waste stream to ensure it can be recycled, composted or reused.
  • Finisher item collection: once participants have crossed the Finish Line, they will be able to pick up finisher items through a collection system, eliminating the need for plastic goody bags.
  • Event branding: banner roll is designed to be reused for future years and will be fixed with reusable bungee cords, replacing single use cable ties.
  • Medal: the ribbon for the event medal is made from recycled materials.
  • Hydration: BUXTON Natural Water bottles are made from 100 per cent recycled materials and designed to be sent back to the manufacturer for recycling.
Environmental report front cover

Wider sustainability at London Marathon Events

In 2020 we launched our first-ever environmental impact report, Leaving the Right Impression, which set out the waste, emissions and products produced and used across all our events, and at our head office and warehouse, in 2019.

We have now committed to producing an environmental impact report each year – you can read them via the buttons below.

Partnerships and programmes

  • Collaboration: we recognise the importance of collective action and have joined the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework, working with other sports organisers across the globe to take climate action, and are members of the British Association for Sustainable Sport (BASIS). In addition, we work with our fellow Abbott World Marathon Majors partners and other UK Mass Participation Sports Organisers to share knowledge and learnings.
  • Clothing collection: at The Big Half and 2021 London Marathon, in partnership with the British Heart Foundation, we collected discarded clothing at the Start Line so it could be donated for resale or recycled where reuse was not possible. As a result, we:
    • collected 18.5 tonnes of discarded clothing
    • raised more than £13,000 for the charity through donations
  • Waste recovery and circularity: in 2021, more than 10 tonnes of event waste were diverted from possible incineration to make future event infrastructure.
  • Better Bankside Business Climate Challenge: we are members of the Mayor of London’s initiative aimed at becoming more energy efficient and are cutting energy usage at our Head Office, which is already powered by renewable energy.