02 Jun UCI launch new sustainability guidelines
At its Management Committee meeting in February 2021, the UCI approved the fundamental principles of its Sustainability strategy aiming to make cycling one of the most sustainable sports in the world. Today it took another decisive step forward by approving the components of this strategy. The two key elements of this are: Sustainability guidelines and Sustainability targets.
The Management Committee of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) met on 2 and 3 June at the Olympic House, headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne (Switzerland), to discuss and formally launch their new sustainability guidelines and sustainability strategy, developed in collaboration with several working groups including representatives of cycling’s stakeholders.
The UCI’s sustainability guidelines aim to provide practical information on key aspects of sustainability for all its stakeholders – which include its 197 National Federations, event organisers and teams –, so they can develop effective sustainability programmes.
The document published by the UCI introduces its sustainability strategy, presents a broad overview of its framework (in particular the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the ISO20121 standard), and provides practical case studies from different cycling organisations, checklists to help organisers deliver sustainable events, and tools and resources to promote cycling as a mode of transport and to encourage better inclusion.
Additions will be made to these guidelines in the future with more tools will be made available to cycling’s stakeholders in a dedicated section on the UCI website.
The UCI’s sustainability targets pool the concrete goals that the UCI commits to achieving in its own activities. A calendar to achieve the targets – starting in June 2021 and finishing in 2030 – is integrated into this agenda. It includes the following objectives:
- reduce greenhouse gas emissions from UCI and UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC) operations to achieve carbon neutrality with a 45% reduction of absolute emissions by 2030;
- integrate environmental, social and economic responsibility into the UCI’s policies, operations and decision-making processes;
- establish a taskforce to guide the development of a strategy of equality, diversity and inclusion in cycling;
- develop a sustainable sourcing strategy for the UCI and UCI events;
- share best practice and become a global centre for collaboration on cycling sustainability solutions, including providing National Federations with sustainability resources and education through the UCI WCC;
- develop a carbon calculator tool for use by cycling stakeholders;
- measure the UCI’s environmental and social impacts to report progress against sustainability objectives and UN Sustainable Development Goals;
- work with organisations from the world over to protect and enhance the planet’s biodiversity;
- advocate for safe cycling everywhere and promote strong local economies through cycling and sustainable development.
With these new developments, the UCI means to strengthen the promotion of cycling as a means of helping address major challenges facing humanity, such as climate change, air pollution and health problems linked to inactivity.
The UCI recently endorsed Healthy Stadia’s new Active Mobility Guidance for sports stadia which provides the public health, environmental and logistical rationales for promoting walking and cycling to sports venues.
To learn more about the UCI and explore their new sustainability guidelines, click here.
