How to Be a Sustainable Sports Fan (More Wins for the Planet)

I enjoyed watching the 2026 football World Cup, and like the rest of our Netherlands-based team, I was extremely proud of Curaçao qualifying for the first time.

But when I found out it was estimated to be the most polluting world cup in history, I started thinking about the environmental side of things.

So, how can we do our part by becoming more sustainable sports fans (and not just for football world cups but other disciplines and events too, from the Olympics to your kids’ basketball game in town)?

Here are my simple tips. 

But let’s start from why this matters. 

Why is it important to become a more sustainable sports fan?

I believe it’s important to become a more sustainable sports fan to reduce our environmental impact when attending matches and sporting events.

Don’t get me wrong: the biggest responsibility is on stadiums, event organisers, and all the other businesses involved!

But when you think that each event is attended by thousands (or hundreds of thousands) of people, you start seeing just how big that impact is.

The main environmental problems when attending sporting events are:

• Carbon emissions generated when driving to matches or flying to away-games
• Waste caused by throwaway flags, merchandise, kits, and outfits
• Waste generated by single-use plastic used for drinks and food

To give you an idea, the average European football match results in 4.2 tonnes of waste from its spectators.

So, imagine just how much of a positive difference we can make if, instead of filling stadiums with thousands of people who aren’t even thinking about this, we become thousands of eco-conscious and more sustainable sports fans!

5 changes you can make to become a more sustainable sports fan

1. Travel: choose more eco-friendly transport when getting to matches and sporting events 

• Whenever possible, choose public transport (trains, buses, trams, coaches…) 
• For shorter distances, walk or cycle
• Share a car with friends 
• Find a carpool with fellow fans (for example, using apps and platforms like Liftshare or Co-Ride)
• Consider your environmental impact when flying to away games or other international sporting events. For example, you could plan your main holiday around them, like staying in that country for a full week. Or if you genuinely love attending multiple away games abroad, offset your flights’ carbon footprint (you can donate to platforms like My Climate, that calculate your emissions and fund tree-planting and other carbon-positive projects)

2. Be mindful with your food and drinking

• If the venue allows it, avoid single-use plastic by bringing your own reusable water bottle
• Choose reusable cups or returnable packaging, if available
• Place your plastic and rubbish in the correct bins, so it can be recycled or disposed of correctly 
• Consider choosing plant-based and vegan food options (this will reduce your meal’s emissions and levels of water pollution and land use by 75%)
• Try to support venues and food vendors offering lower-impact choices, like vegan stands and biodegradable packaging 

3. Go paperless with your sports tickets

Don’t print out your ticket unless it’s required (which is rare).

Once again, it might not feel like you’re making much of a difference. But if you were to place aaaaaall the printed tickets for a 100.000 people match in one spot, you’ll realise just how much waste we are talking about.

4. Choose sustainable clothes and more eco-friendly options to show your support

• Avoid tacky and single-use flags and other merch designed to break after one match (or that you’re just not gonna reuse)
• If you are serious about supporting your favourite team or player by (re)wearing their kit, invest in a single high-quality option 
• Support your country without falling for single-use and fast fashion options you’re never gonna wear again. Some more sustainable moves?
  
  - Wear your team’s or country’s colours by getting creative with the garments and accessories you already own. For example, since I’m from the Netherlands, I could rock up with a red hat, white t-shirt, and blue jeans
  
  - Show your support through face paint or makeup. Easy!
  
  - Remember: culture isn’t costume. Instead of falling into cultural appropriation or perpetrating harmful stereotypes (like a fake mustache and sombrero in Mexico), how about wearing clothes by a designer or small ethical brand from the country you’re supporting, especially indigenous-owned?
  
  - If you do need to buy something, invest in clothes made ethically and to last, by brands that care about both the environment and garment workers, and that you can see yourself rewearing +30 times, not just for that one match or sporting event. 

At Project Cece, we brought hundreds of sustainable clothing brands in one place, with filters to simplify your choice

5. Go the extra mile 

• Most people simply don’t know about the amount of waste and carbon emissions they’re generating. So, share these tips with your friends and family, or talk to them about the importance of becoming more sustainable sports fans
• Ask for change. From suggesting more eco-friendly options at your kids’ school matches to emailing venues and signing relevant petitions, making our voices heard can also have a huge impact

When we become and act like more sustainable sports fans, the planet wins, too.