A sports event “in nature” is a temporary use of land: short, but intense. For this reason, sustainability cannot be a cosmetic add-on: it must become a technical criterion, like safety or fair play. In the international framework, sport is increasingly adopting measurable climate targets (a 50% reduction by 2030 and net-zero by 2040 for signatories of the UNFCCC “Sports for Climate Action” framework).

Governing sustainability: roles, processes, verification

A management system is needed. ISO 20121 is the reference standard for integrating sustainability into the design and delivery of events (of any size), with a process-based and demonstrable approach.

On an operational level, one simple but powerful measure is to appoint a sustainability manager with an explicit mandate to coordinate and verify actions: the Italian Minimum Environmental Criteria (CAM) for events make this a requirement (“to oversee the implementation of all sustainability actions”).

Ecological planning: avoiding impacts before having to mitigate them

In orienteering, the choice of area, timing, and courses is already “environmental engineering”: IOF/FISO guidelines recommend identifying fragile habitats and rare communities, avoiding controls in sensitive micro-habitats (moss, incipient dunes, waterlogged areas), and reducing the use of wet terrain when alternatives exist.

When the event is inside or near Natura 2000 sites, caution becomes procedure: the European Commission notes that if a project may have significant effects (or if there is doubt), an “appropriate assessment” based on solid scientific evidence is required. (In Italy, the CAM refer to the “incidence assessment study” for events inside/near Natura 2000.)

Focus: transport and logistics (the hotspot that determines the event’s credibility)

In many sports events, the dominant share of emissions comes from mobility. A technical report from the German BMUV, designed for major events, highlights that travel emissions from spectators, volunteers, and staff often represent the largest component, typically reaching more than three quarters of the total.

World Athletics translates this into practical guidance: choose venues with good public transport connections and develop a “sustainable travel plan” to control and monitor the travel footprint.

Key tool: Event Mobility Plan (EMP)

An effective EMP includes: flow estimates (daily and total), accessibility, parking management, measures to shift modal shares toward public transport/shuttles/cycling-walking, and a set of indicators. The CAM provide a very concrete and replicable checklist: agreements with public transport and sharing services, incentives for those arriving by train/bus, electric shuttles from park-and-ride lots or stations, virtual noticeboards for car pooling, paid parking for private cars, and additional public transport services if necessary.

Orienteering in remote areas: three high-impact levers

  • Targeted shuttles: IOF/FISO suggest organizing and promoting shuttle buses from the nearest railway station or bus line, publishing schedules/links, and considering support from local authorities or sponsors.
  • Designed car pooling: not only “recommending” it, but enabling it (ride-sharing platform) and rewarding it with smart parking rules: fees or proximity of parking spaces linked to the number of occupants.
  • Active last mile: if the arena can be reached on foot/by bike from a public transport hub, it must be made easy (signage, bike racks, safe routes).

Materials logistics: reducing trips and choosing better vehicles

Behind-the-scenes logistics must be treated as a supply chain: delivery windows, load consolidation, minimization of empty trips. The CAM indicate two technical principles: prefer rail transport when possible and group materials to reduce the number of trips; they also require vehicles with defined emissions performance for material transport.

When to act: before, during, and after

Before the event, mitigation measures are defined and, if necessary, restoration actions to return conditions to the pre-event state; during the event, inspections and operational control are needed (also on mobility and access); after, cleaning, restoration, and a short “lessons learned” report. This cycle is consistent with the CAM approach, which requires describing mitigation/restoration measures and includes ongoing checks.

Measuring to improve (and reporting seriously)

To avoid subjective impressions, accounting is needed: the GHG Protocol, with its Scope 3 calculation guidance, provides methods to estimate emissions along the value chain, including transport and distribution.

Three minimum KPIs for every organizing committee: modal split, car occupancy rate, vehicle-kilometers for staff/materials. Finally, translating rules into briefings: Leave No Trace principles help establish observable behaviors (plan ahead, travel on durable surfaces, manage waste properly, respect wildlife).

A recent example in the orienteering world is JWOC 2025 (Italy), which states that mobility planning is “essential” to limit emissions and adopts both IOF checklists and national minimum criteria as references.

In summary

Environmental protection in an orienteering event is not just about “leaving no litter behind.” It means designing mobility and logistics as integral parts of the sporting project, because that is where emissions, conflicts with the territory, and ultimately the social license to operate are decided — the condition in which the territory not only “allows” the event, but recognizes it as compatible and desirable.

Bibliography

European Commission. (n.d.). Permitting procedure for plans and projects affecting Natura 2000 sites. Environment. https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/nature-and-biodiversity/natura-2000/permitting-procedure_en

Federazione Italiana Sport Orientamento. (2025). Linee guida per la sostenibilità ambientale degli eventi di orienteering. FISO. https://www.fiso.it/_files/f_media/2025/09/38910.pdf

Greenhouse Gas Protocol. (n.d.). Scope 3 calculation guidance. World Resources Institute; World Business Council for Sustainable Development. https://ghgprotocol.org/scope-3-calculation-guidance-2

International Organization for Standardization. (2024). ISO 20121:2024 Event sustainability management systems — Requirements with guidance for use. https://www.iso.org/standard/86389.html (Nota: Attenzione! La norma è stata aggiornata nel 2024. Il link che hai fornito punta alla nuova versione, quindi ho aggiornato l’anno da 2012 a 2024).

JWOC 2025 Organising Committee. (2025). Sustainability. Junior World Orienteering Championships 2025. https://www.jwoc2025.it/en/sustainability/

Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. (n.d.). The seven principles of Leave No Trace. https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (n.d.). Sports for Climate Action Framework. UNFCCC. https://unfccc.int/climate-action/sectoral-engagement/sports-for-climate-action

World Athletics. (n.d.). Travel planning and sustainable event transport. Athletics for a Better World. https://worldathletics.org/athletics-better-world/sustainability/travel-planning