Harvard Business School panelists argue that net-zero arenas and smarter merch can turn fandom into real climate action—and a blueprint beyond sports.
“The word ‘joy’ was used more in this session than I generally hear around” Harvard Business School, Rosabeth Moss Kanter said at the conclusion of a Harvard Climate Action Week discussion on innovating sustainability in sports. The panel, organized by the Business and Environment Initiative at Harvard Business School and moderated by Initiative Director Lynn Schenk, analyzed sustainability initiatives — ranging from zero-carbon stadiums to eco-friendly merchandise — and highlighted an overlooked weapon in the fight against climate change: pleasure.
“Fun is one of the many reasons why sports should be considered at the core of many sustainability strategies,” said Kanter, the Ernest L. Arbuckle Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. “It takes an issue that’s sometimes grim for people and can translate it into something that unites a community that wants to cheer on their team.”
Panelists agreed that the enthusiasm and community-building aspects of sports can be harnessed for meaningful climate action and that new innovations in athletics can provide templates for industries beyond the wide world of sports.
Kanter pointed to the Climate Pledge Arena, a facility that bills itself as “the first net-zero certified arena in the world” and is home to the NHL Seattle Kraken and the WNBA Seattle Storm. With private investment, the arena underwent a four-year, top-to-bottom eco-renovation that reimagined nearly every aspect of the facility’s infrastructure and function—from creating new zero-waste streams, to offering free public transit to and from events, to electrifying everything from stoves to Zambonis.
“Along with the sustainability ethos, there’s a team spirit ethos in the arena itself,” Kanter said. They’re “very conscious of workers and their lives and making sure they’re paid well, treated well, and it’s a culture that also unites people.”
Kanter added that the project can serve as a model for a broad spectrum of other facilities and public-private partnerships. For example, many of the features and lessons learned from the Climate Pledge Arena are currently being incorporated into plans for the Washington Commanders’ new $3.8 billion stadium.
Community impact
Maria McClay, a Harvard Business School alumna and founder of the sustainable fanwear line 9 Commons, said that the sports industry is already in a moment of “massive disruption,” which can open doors for new climate and community-focused initiatives.
Take women’s sports, which has seen an enormous increase in investment and valuations over the past few years: It’s now shaping how facilities are designed. McClay said that nine new athletic training facilities built over the last two years for women’s professional teams include features like hydrotherapy centers, yoga studios, childcare facilities, and courts that are open to local residents. “Community, environment, connection, and wellness are all central,” she said.
Owners and investors are increasingly seeing community impact as a vital part of their identity and business operations, McClay added, and the strategy is paying off: “What we’re seeing is that there’s a return. There’s a return in terms of the fan. There’s a return in terms of customers and people truly care.”
McClay pointed to merchandise as an area that’s a central part of how sports connect communities and in dire need of better sustainable practices. Merchandise is frequently made with low-quality, petroleum-based polyester and is often over-produced and discarded once a championship is lost or a player is traded. McClay’s company, 9 Commons, is dedicated to using higher-quality, longer-lasting materials derived from sustainable sources.
“Will people make decisions based upon whether something is sustainable? I would hope, and I would love to say, ‘yes,’” McClay said. “The reality is, the product needs to be cool and differentiated and needs to appeal. And if not, then the rest of it, quite frankly, is more difficult to sell.”
The panelists also touched on how investors are reconciling the higher costs and time required to achieve ambitious environmental goals with the desire for quick, concrete results, which often aren’t possible for climate initiatives.
Kanter said that storytelling plays a pivotal role. The Climate Pledge Arena was initially embroiled in political turmoil and pushback from stakeholders, but the project ultimately came to fruition thanks to a core set of supporters who had a clear vision for what the arena could be and what it could do for the community and beyond.
“You need some true believers who have the clout to make it happen,” she said. “You have to overcome the politics. You have to make a positive story, tell a story that the public believes is important or it can fall apart.”