Catalogue of measures
On this page you will find a wide range of measures and best practices to help you plan and implement your event sustainably. Use the filter options to select specific measures that match your action areas and targets.
Target Catalogue
On this page you will find a wide range of measures and best practices to help you plan and implement your event sustainably. Use the filter options to select specific measures that match your action areas and targets.
Install temporary or permanent sun protection for all stakeholders if high sun exposure is expected.
| Cost: | |||||
Action area Health and Well-Being - Target: Minimise environmental and climate-related health risks for all relevant stakeholders.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Minimise environmental and climate-related health risks for all relevant stakeholders (e.g. organisation team, athletes, visitors). → Health and well-being (AA12)
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Sports facilities and infrastructure - Target: Minimise environmental and climate-related health risks for all people through structural adaptations. => Health and well-being (AA12)
| Potential impact | |||||
Provide the athletes with ice and cold cloths during the break in their competition.
| Cost: | |||||
Action area Health and Well-Being - Target: Minimise environmental and climate-related health risks for all relevant stakeholders.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Minimise environmental and climate-related health risks for all relevant stakeholders (e.g. organisation team, athletes, visitors). → Health and well-being (AA12)
| Potential impact | |||||
Provide a sufficient number of secure and weatherproof bicycle parking spaces (permanent or mobile, e.g. bicycle car park, pop-up bicycle racks) at all sports facilities.
| Cost: | |||||
Action area Traffic - Target: Increase use of environmentally friendly means of transport to and from work.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Sports facilities and infrastructure - Target: Select the sports venue after weighing ecological, social and economic aspects.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Increase travel to and from the city by environmentally friendly means of transport. => Transport (AA3)
| Potential impact | |||||
Organise incentives for arriving at the sports venue by bike (e.g. a coupon for a discounted drink at a guarded bike park or the opportunity to leave a deposit cup at a bike park).
| Cost: | |||||
Action area Traffic - Target: Increase use of environmentally friendly means of transport to and from work.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Increase travel to and from the city by environmentally friendly means of transport. => Transport (AA3)
| Potential impact | |||||
Offer vegetarian and vegan alternatives as meals and dishes. Food stalls must offer at least one vegetarian/vegan alternative to each meat-based dish (e.g. one meat-based meatball and one vegetarian meatball). In restaurants, buffets, etc., at least one vegetarian and one vegan alternative must be offered for every meat-based dish.
| Cost: | |||||
Action area Catering - Target: Maximise the purchase and range of vegetarian or vegan products.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Minimise greenhouse gas emissions in catering. → Catering (AA7)
| Potential impact | |||||
Canteens and cafeterias for volunteers and employees only offer vegetarian and vegan meals. Meat dishes are not offered.
| Cost: | |||||
Action area Catering - Target: Maximise the purchase and range of vegetarian or vegan products.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Minimise greenhouse gas emissions in catering. → Catering (AA7)
| Potential impact | |||||
Reduce the amount of meat per portion at buffets, in restaurants, in hospitality areas, etc.
| Cost: | |||||
Action area Catering - Target: Maximise the purchase and range of vegetarian or vegan products.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Minimise greenhouse gas emissions in catering. → Catering (AA7)
| Potential impact | |||||
Do not use food that is transported by aeroplane.
| Cost: | |||||
Action area Catering - Target: Use as much regionally and seasonally produced food as possible, with no goods flown in.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Minimise greenhouse gas emissions in catering. → Catering (AA7)
| Potential impact | |||||
Rice is by far the most climate-damaging starchy side dish, which you should therefore avoid as much as possible.
| Cost: | |||||
Action area Catering - Target: Use as much regionally and seasonally produced food as possible, with no goods flown in.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Minimise greenhouse gas emissions in catering. → Catering (AA7)
| Potential impact | |||||
Only provide hot water in sanitary facilities where it is really needed. In existing sports facilities, hot water can be turned off for this purpose, e.g. at hand wash basins.
| Cost: | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Reduce the energy requirement.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Sports facilities and infrastructure - Target: Select the sports venue after weighing ecological, social and economic aspects.
| Potential impact | |||||
To optimise operation, measure and evaluate electricity and heating/cooling consumption on a daily basis (larger consumer groups separately if possible).
| Cost: | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Reduce the energy requirement.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Determine and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
| Potential impact | |||||
Wherever possible, avoid overnight stays.
For every meeting, conference, delegation trip, other appointment and event, critically examine whether participation is really necessary and sensible (and if so, to what extent) or whether it can be dispensed with. If in doubt, do not participate.
However, a domestic German flight already causes higher GHG emissions than an overnight stay in a hotel. Therefore, if a return journey by train is no longer possible due to time constraints, an overnight stay is preferable to a flight (alternatively: if possible, an overnight train with sleeping car).
| Cost: | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Determine and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Sports facilities and infrastructure - Target: Select accommodations for accredited persons in accordance with sustainability standards.
| Potential impact | |||||
Install shower timers in showers to indicate the duration.
| Cost: | |||||
Action area Water - Target: Minimise water consumption.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Reduce the energy requirement.
| Potential impact | |||||
Appoint an energy manager to monitor and ensure energy-efficient operation during the event. This includes, for example, reducing the running times of appliances/systems according to actual demand instead of standby mode.
| Cost: | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Reduce the energy requirement.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Determine and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
| Potential impact | |||||
Reduce the pool temperature to standard values or increase the temperature difference between the pool water and the air temperature in the interior to up to 4 °C.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Reduce the energy requirement.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Sports facilities and infrastructure - Target: Select the sports venue after weighing ecological, social and economic aspects.
| Potential impact | |||||
Commission energy management or an energy concept and implement it. The tasks of energy management range from recording and evaluating energy consumption to carrying out building analyses and planning and coordinating energy-saving measures. Stadiums, arenas and other large sports facilities are complex buildings. Looking at individual measures is often not enough to realise high savings potential. Instead, this requires an overall system analysis by a qualified engineering firm.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Reduce the energy requirement.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Sports facilities and infrastructure - Target: Select the sports venue after weighing ecological, social and economic aspects.
| Potential impact | |||||
Install photovoltaics (PV) to generate solar power. Build a new PV system or expand an existing system at the sports facility (roof of the sports facility, other roofs of outbuildings, roofing of footpaths, etc.).
It is also possible to finance a new PV system on neighbouring buildings in the immediate vicinity of the sports facility. Use the PV electricity yourself via battery storage.
Alternatively, you can first commission a feasibility study including a cost-benefit analysis.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Provide energy from renewable sources.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Sports facilities and infrastructure - Target: Select the sports venue after weighing ecological, social and economic aspects.
| Potential impact | |||||
Rededicate car park areas of the sports facility for the construction of new photovoltaic systems (also consider placing photovoltaic panels on stands above the parking areas).
| Cost | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Provide energy from renewable sources.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Sports facilities and infrastructure - Target: Select the sports venue after weighing ecological, social and economic aspects.
| Potential impact | |||||
Obtain certified "renewable" electricity (from renewable energies, "green electricity") for all areas (sports facilities, media centres, etc.).
| Cost: | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Provide energy from renewable sources.
| Potential impact | |||||
Calculate or commission an ex-ante and ex-post carbon footprint for the event. The scope and level of detail of the balancing may depend on the available resources. Smaller events can, for example, carry out a simple assessment of greenhouse gas emissions based on public online carbon footprint tools. Even for smaller events, it can be useful to take stock during the planning stage in order to become aware of the relevance of individual areas.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Determine and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
| Potential impact | |||||
Set up a climate responsibility budget for greenhouse gas reduction measures. The concept of "climate responsibility" represents recommended alternatives to climate compensation. Multiply the remaining greenhouse gas emissions [beforehand: 1) reduce demand, 2) increase efficiency, 3) substitute fossil fuels] with an applicable price. The budget can be used, for example, to finance climate protection measures in sports facilities of sports clubs.
Examine the possibility of setting up a special sustainability fund to provide funding for future sporting events. This can also ensure long-term financing for sustainable projects, e.g. in climate protection. If possible, set up such a fund.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Assume responsibility for unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions in line with the concept of climate responsibility.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Sport and Club Development - Target: Contribute to securing and further developing the structures of participating sports clubs and associations.
| Potential impact | |||||
Commission or draw up an integrated climate protection concept before the sporting event that analyses potential savings, proposes measures and – if possible – sets a specific target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and implement it. The following principles apply: 1) reduce demand, 2) increase efficiency, 3) substitute fossil fuels.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Determine and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
| Potential impact | |||||
If high heat stress is expected, schedule competitions or event times for periods with cooler temperatures. Allow additional hydration breaks.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Health and Well-Being - Target: Minimise environmental and climate-related health risks for all relevant stakeholders.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Minimise environmental and climate-related health risks for all relevant stakeholders (e.g. organisation team, athletes, visitors). → Health and well-being (AA12)
| Potential impact | |||||
Secure superstructures and objects if a storm hazard is expected. Secure materials that can easily fly away (e.g. advertising boards and banners) or dismantle them.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Health and Well-Being - Target: Minimise environmental and climate-related health risks for all relevant stakeholders.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Minimise environmental and climate-related health risks for all relevant stakeholders (e.g. organisation team, athletes, visitors). → Health and well-being (AA12)
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Sports facilities and infrastructure - Target: Minimise environmental and climate-related health risks for all people through structural adaptations. => Health and well-being (AA12)
| Potential impact | |||||
Install fans, evaporative coolers or misting systems / water sprayers to lower the ambient temperature or provide cooling with water.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Health and Well-Being - Target: Minimise environmental and climate-related health risks for all relevant stakeholders.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Minimise environmental and climate-related health risks for all relevant stakeholders (e.g. organisation team, athletes, visitors). → Health and well-being (AA12)
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Sports facilities and infrastructure - Target: Minimise environmental and climate-related health risks for all people through structural adaptations. => Health and well-being (AA12)
| Potential impact | |||||
Develop clear evacuation plans in the event of extreme weather events such as severe storms, heavy rain or thunderstorms.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Health and Well-Being - Target: Minimise environmental and climate-related health risks for all relevant stakeholders.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Minimise environmental and climate-related health risks for all relevant stakeholders (e.g. organisation team, athletes, visitors). → Health and well-being (AA12)
| Potential impact | |||||
Select the athletes' and team accommodation according to ecological criteria (EMAS, Viabono, energy management, environmental labels such as Green Globe, ISO 14001 or DEHOGA-Umweltcheck). Generally choose a "plainer" hotel category (with fewer stars): As a rule, hotels with fewer stars have lower GHG emissions per overnight stay than hotels with more stars.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Sports facilities and infrastructure - Target: Select accommodations for accredited persons in accordance with sustainability standards.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Determine and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
| Potential impact | |||||
Allow spectators to use public transport free of charge on the day of the event by purchasing a ticket for the sporting event.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Traffic - Target: Increase use of environmentally friendly means of transport to and from work.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Diversity and Participation - Target: The participation of people from all dimensions of diversity is proactively encouraged and is continuously monitored.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Increase travel to and from the city by environmentally friendly means of transport. => Transport (AA3)
| Potential impact | |||||
Allow spectators who have purchased a sporting event ticket to obtain discounted tickets for long-distance travel to the event location with Deutsche Bahn.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Traffic - Target: Increase use of environmentally friendly means of transport to and from work.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Diversity and Participation - Target: The participation of people from all dimensions of diversity is proactively encouraged and is continuously monitored.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Increase travel to and from the city by environmentally friendly means of transport. => Transport (AA3)
| Potential impact | |||||
Organise additional long-distance transport services for spectators by means of special trains (e.g. night trains) and service extensions in the country and within Europe.
Special trains can also be useful for fans/visitors (e.g. when travelling to/from the venue the day before or after a single event).
Offers of attractive, cross-border special tickets for international travel and extensive communication are necessary.
Make additional train offers in the late evening/night hours to enable the journey home after the event (also to more distant destinations). You can also organise special trains for foreign fan groups, for example.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Traffic - Target: Increase use of environmentally friendly means of transport to and from work.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Increase travel to and from the city by environmentally friendly means of transport. => Transport (AA3)
| Potential impact | |||||
Make sure that the sports facilities are accessible via safe cycle paths. Create new or improve existing cycle paths to all sports facilities via short-term (pop-up) and/or permanent bike paths. Coordinate with the cycle path concept of the respective host city/region. This can also include a regional cycle path concept (e.g. with high-speed cycle paths) to the host city and its sports venues and connect the surrounding communities.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Traffic - Target: Increase use of environmentally friendly means of transport to and from work.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Increase travel to and from the city by environmentally friendly means of transport. => Transport (AA3)
| Potential impact | |||||
Advocate the purchase/use of cargo bikes and electric transport vehicles for logistics transport in the event cities. This can be included in the terms and conditions for service contracts, for example. Electric lorries should not only be considered for the last mile, but also for longer logistics transports.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Traffic - Target: Reduce emissions from logistics transport as far as possible.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Determine and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Increase travel to and from the city by environmentally friendly means of transport. => Transport (AA3)
| Potential impact | |||||
Use regional food wherever possible. For regional events, a distance regulation can be created depending on the size of the event (large sporting events e.g. 200 km, small sporting events e.g. 50 km).
| Cost | |||||
Action area Catering - Target: Use as much regionally and seasonally produced food as possible, with no goods flown in.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Minimise greenhouse gas emissions in catering. → Catering (AA7)
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Value Creation and Tourism - Target: Achieve economic effects through the sporting event.
| Potential impact | |||||
Use seasonal fresh fruit and vegetables wherever possible. Fruit and vegetables are seasonal when harvested in Germany or neighbouring regions in open-air cultivation or protected cultivation (unheated greenhouse, foil tunnel) at the main harvest time and marketed (after subsequent storage, if applicable).
| Cost | |||||
Action area Catering - Target: Use as much regionally and seasonally produced food as possible, with no goods flown in.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Minimise greenhouse gas emissions in catering. → Catering (AA7)
| Potential impact | |||||
Reduce the opening hours of media centres, accreditation centres or canteens, for example, and adapt them to actual demand.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Reduce the energy requirement.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Determine and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
| Potential impact | |||||
Use LED lighting. Also check the replacement of inefficient lighting. Also use LED lighting in all temporary facilities as well as for outdoor lighting and floodlighting. Integrate the requirements into the tender.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Reduce the energy requirement.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Sports facilities and infrastructure - Target: Select the sports venue after weighing ecological, social and economic aspects.
| Potential impact | |||||
Install or optimise automatic demand-based control of ventilation systems in temporary and permanent buildings.
Alternatively, use manual control or switch ventilation systems on and off depending on utilisation.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Reduce the energy requirement.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Sports facilities and infrastructure - Target: Carry out refurbishment, extension and general construction measures in accordance with sustainable building requirements.
| Potential impact | |||||
Cover outdoor pools as soon as they are not in use to reduce heat and evaporation losses.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Reduce the energy requirement.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Water - Target: Minimise water consumption.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Sports facilities and infrastructure - Target: Select the sports venue after weighing ecological, social and economic aspects.
| Potential impact | |||||
Switch from using gas to electricity in kitchen and catering areas to enable the use of renewable energies as far as possible. Take into account the amortisation period of the devices.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Provide energy from renewable sources.
| Potential impact | |||||
Install a solar thermal system to generate hot water. Alternatively, a feasibility study including a cost-benefit analysis can be commissioned first.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Provide energy from renewable sources.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Sports facilities and infrastructure - Target: Select the sports venue after weighing ecological, social and economic aspects.
| Potential impact | |||||
As far as possible, obtain electricity for the event and for fan zones and media centres from the power grid instead of generating it with diesel generators. Check the use of biodiesel if generators cannot be avoided.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Provide energy from renewable sources.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Sports facilities and infrastructure - Target: Select the sports venue after weighing ecological, social and economic aspects.
| Potential impact | |||||
If possible, replace diesel generators (sports facilities, fan zones, media centres) with large batteries (preferably second life batteries from electric vehicles). These can be used as a backup or as an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), to provide the necessary power and for self-consumption of self-generated, renewable electricity (photovoltaic systems). The batteries can replace temporary diesel generators during the event and existing permanent diesel generators at the sports facilities (e.g. also for peak load management). The batteries can be charged with mains electricity and/or renewable energy from photovoltaic systems before the day of the event/overnight and release the stored electricity on the day of the event.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Provide energy from renewable sources.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Sports facilities and infrastructure - Target: Select the sports venue after weighing ecological, social and economic aspects.
| Potential impact | |||||
Use the latest generation of snow guns.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Reduce the energy requirement.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Water - Target: Minimise water consumption.
| Potential impact | |||||
To reduce the amount of lighting required, adjust the event period to available daylight.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Reduce the energy requirement.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Traffic - Target: Increase use of environmentally friendly means of transport to and from work.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Natural Habitats and Biodiversity - Target: Avoid any disruption of species when holding sporting events.
| Potential impact | |||||
Set up well-equipped first aid stations where you can respond quickly to heat-related illnesses such as heat stroke or dehydration.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Health and Well-Being - Target: Minimise environmental and climate-related health risks for all relevant stakeholders.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Minimise environmental and climate-related health risks for all relevant stakeholders (e.g. organisation team, athletes, visitors). → Health and well-being (AA12)
| Potential impact | |||||
Inform the stakeholders in advance about the possible climate-related risks and the planned protective measures. Use text messages, apps or PA announcements to keep stakeholders informed about current weather conditions and protective measures.
| Cost: | |||||
Action area Health and Well-Being - Target: Minimise environmental and climate-related health risks for all relevant stakeholders.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Minimise environmental and climate-related health risks for all relevant stakeholders (e.g. organisation team, athletes, visitors). → Health and well-being (AA12)
| Potential impact | |||||
Use or promote apps that track the carbon footprint of each person attending or participating in the event and provide tips on how to reduce it.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Innovation and Digitalisation - Target: Expand digitalisation as a driver for sustainable development.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Determine and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Education for Sustainable Development - Target: Convey knowledge for a critical and contextualised understanding and promote awareness and agency with regard to actively shaping a sustainable future.
| Potential impact | |||||
When choosing a location, consider the proximity to the venues and sports facilities and their accessibility as well as the connection to public transport (principle of short distances).
| Cost | |||||
Action area Sports facilities and infrastructure - Target: Select accommodations for accredited persons in accordance with sustainability standards.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Determine and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Traffic - Target: Increase use of environmentally friendly means of transport to and from work.
| Potential impact | |||||
Allow volunteers to use public transport free of charge for the entire duration of the sporting event.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Traffic - Target: Increase use of environmentally friendly means of transport to and from work.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Commitment from society - Target: Organise and recognise volunteering in a motivating way.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Increase travel to and from the city by environmentally friendly means of transport. => Transport (AA3)
| Potential impact | |||||
Allow volunteers to travel to/from the sporting event at a reduced price for a long-distance ticket.
| Cost | |||||
Action area Traffic - Target: Increase use of environmentally friendly means of transport to and from work.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Commitment from society - Target: Organise and recognise volunteering in a motivating way.
| Potential impact | |||||
Action area Energy and climate - Target: Increase travel to and from the city by environmentally friendly means of transport. => Transport (AA3)
| Potential impact | |||||