The Toolbox, is collaborating with the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC), as part of the Toolbox Accelerator, to help National Sports Federations across the country to implement their own sustainability strategies. Ahead of The Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games, The collaboration will enable nine AOC Member Sports Federations to sign the UNFCCC Sport for Climate Action Pledge and commit to Net-Zero emissions by 2040. The pilot project hopes to be extended in 2024 to support teams and clubs across Australia, and overseas to activate Oceania’s sports federations and teams and clubs across Australia. 

Nine AOC Member Sports Federations have stepped up to spearhead the initiative and sign the UNFCCC Sport for Climate Action Pledge. These federations included Artistic Swimming Australia, Hockey Australia, Rowing Australia, Australian Sailing, Triathlon Australia, Athletics Australia, Swimming Australia, Snow Australia, and Water Polo Australia. Together, they aimed to achieve Net-Zero emissions by 2040, setting an inspiring example for others to follow.

As part of the collaboration, The Toolbox have brought Winter Olympian and Sports Ethics Ph.D. candidate Hannah Campbell-Pegg into the team, training her to deliver online and in-person workshops for the nine Federations participating in the pilot. The AOC and its federations will also support their stakeholders in using the tools, cascading sustainable change through the Australian sport value chain from federation to club. 

As a working group, federations will use the workshops to demonstrate and review monthly progress, sharing achievements and lessons learned.  Federations will continue tracking their emissions, initiatives, and impacts over the year with additional support facilitated by Hannah Campbell-Pegg and the Toolbox Team. 

Warwick Waters, Head of Advocacy & Stakeholder Engagement at AOC , said, “This project represents a significant step forward in the AOC’s commitment to sustainability. Combining Hannah’s knowledge of Australian sport and The Toolbox’s ability to facilitate positive change, we’re looking forward to delivering sustainability in a way that’s by Australian sport for Australian sport.”

Hannah Cambell-Pegg said, “We’re excited to work with The Toolbox to further our sustainability initiatives and deliver meaningful change across our Member Sports Federations. By combining our resources and expertise, we’re confident we can make a real difference in promoting sustainable practices across Australian sport ahead of Brisbane 32.”

The Toolbox Community Manager Isaac Murray added, “We’re delighted to collaborate with the AOC to drive sustainability in Australian sport. We designed our community-driven platform to empower organisations to take tangible action in-house, toward a more sustainable and regenerative future, and we believe that our partnership with the AOC will enable us to reach a wider audience and have a more significant impact on sustainability practices in the Australian and Oceanic sports and event industries.”

If you’re inspired to start your own Toolbox Accelerator project and join the movement in earnest, reach out to The Toolbox team via info@sustainabilitytoolbox.com. Together, we can shape a brighter and more sustainable future for generations to come.