Lights Camera Plastic (SPORTS EDITION)
Lights Camera Plastic – Sports Edition (LCP Sports) de-normalizes the use of single-use plastic on the field, encouraging athletes to go reusable to set an example for sports fans.
The Problem
There is an incredible amount of unnecessary plastic waste in sports games, from the athletes using single-use plastics on the field, to fans relying on single-use plastic cups and bottles. In the US alone, we are discarding 1 million plastic bottles per minute and only 9% of these bottles are being recycled.
It is estimated that over 4 billion people worldwide watch soccer on television. This is in addition to the billions of fans who watch the NFL, NBA, MLB and other sports on television. This is an opportunity to reach people with sustainability messaging.
Researchers at Kaiser Family Foundation say kids learn important lessons from famous athletes. When they see athletes rehydrating with single-use plastic water bottles on the sidelines, kids get the message that single-use plastic is acceptable.
Drinking from single-use plastic water bottles means that athletes are also ingesting microplastics, which are harmful to their health. Over 10,000 microplastic particles have been found in just 1 liter of water (95% of the particles ranging from 6.6-100 microns). Contamination comes from the bottling and packaging process, according to the Department of Chemistry, State University of New York.
Our Solution
Our LCB Sports campaign focuses on major sporting events and sports leagues, pressuring them to switch from single-use plastic to reusable bottles on the field.
We expanded our campaign to include professional teams and their athletes, creating a movement to de-normalize single-use plastic on the field. Our campaign encourages them to use reusables, especially during televised events.
We created tools to create the change within the sports industry to help athletes rehydrate sustainably– especially on camera. Our toolkit includes posters and communications for sports team operations to adopt reusables on the sidelines for a more sustainable way to hydrate their athletes.
“The answer [to plastic pollution] is simple – we need more reuse and less single use.”Dr. Shelley Brown, Director – Sailors for the Sea
Our Impact
We are proud to join forces with over 100 sports organizations and elite athletes from around the world in a letter calling on Coca-Cola, Pepsi and bottler Coca-Cola Europacific Partners to curb plastic pollution by significantly increasing reusable packaging.
The letter commended the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games as the largest sporting event ever to serve beverages in reusable packaging, while expressing concern for the growing plastic pollution crisis, urging the targeted companies to use Paris 2024 as a launchpad for introducing more reuse at future Olympic Games and other sporting events.
Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have been found to be amongst the top global plastic polluters. In their letter, these athletes and organizations ask the targeted companies to:
- Make Reuse an option for all their customers globally and dramatically increase reusable packaging by 2030.
- Ensure future Olympics and other major sporting events rely on resuable packaging rather than single-use.
- Advocate for the inclusion of legally binding targets and other mechanisms to increase reusable packaging in national legislation and in the United Nations plastic treaty
Some of the sports leagues and organizations who have signed on to this letter:
Take Action
Sports Industry Support
We are proud to provide tools to create change within the sports industry to help athletes rehydrate sustainably– especially on camera. Our LCP Sports toolkit includes posters, talking points, and tips for sports team operations to help them adopt reusables for a healthier way to hydrate their athletes.
Major athletes have already started!
Help make change!
Join us as we send letters to every major sports organization as we request that they provide athletes with reusable water bottles to rehydrate in a way that is healthier for their bodies and healthier for the planet.
LCP Sports Toolkit
Please download our free toolkit to help remind everyone in your organization that reusables are the healthier way to go. Your athletes are influencing kids and adults alike so let’s provide them with a healthier alternative to plastic water bottles.
