Just two months ago, The Sustainability Report sat down with rugby players Alena Olsen and Jamie Farndale to talk about why the sport should be at the forefront of sport’s climate action movement.

Last week, following a year of consultation and development, World Rugby, the sport’s global governing body, published its response in the form of a 2030 Environmental Plan.

In this edition of the podcast, the federation’s chief executive Alan Gilpin walks us through the plan, explaining World Rugby’s motivation for creating it and addressing its three key priorities: climate action, circular economy and the natural environment.

Gilpin touches on the “ambitious but realistic” goal of reducing World Rugby’s carbon impact by 50% across all three scopes without offsetting, and how the organisation will work with event organising committees and other stakeholders to achieve the plan’s objectives.

Listen to the full episode here:

Guest

Episode #64 talking points: 

– How a strategic focus and in-depth consultation led World Rugby to three key environmental priorities

– Why World Rugby’s changing model – with more control over events – will support this plan

– Transparency, and why the organisation will communicate challenges and failures as well as successes

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