UCI launches Sustainability Impact Tracker
August 4, 2023
The UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale), world cycling’s governing body, has launched an online platform that will allow cycling stakeholders to measure their impact. The UCI Sustainability Impact Tracker is reportedly the first of its kind for the sport and is part of efforts by UCI to achieve its climate action objectives.
While the act of riding a bike has low sustainability impact, the extraction of materials, the production of bikes and the shipping of products around the world can cause environmental harm. Therefore, this online platform intends to bring the “best of sustainability assessment to the world of cycling.”
The UCI collaborated with service providers Global Climate Initiative (GCI) and 261PI to create the tracker, which measures carbon emissions and UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) commitments – which are essential components of positive impact policy. The tracker consists of the SDGs indexes measurement solution supplied by 261PI and elaboration of an accurate and complete carbon footprint supplied by GCI.
Powered by 261PI, the SDG calculator is the “first and only” international SDG measurement platform specialized in sports and entertainment. Powered by GCI, the carbon calculator provides cycling a way to measure and reduce its carbon footprint at organizations and events. It also creates and monitors personalized action plans and off-setting projects to combat climate change.
“This collaboration will enable each member organization to benefit from a turnkey tool for measuring and reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. This partnership demonstrates that the cycling world understands the importance of combating climate change. It paves the way for a responsible and proactive approach to environmental sustainability within the cycling family,” said GCI President Philippe Mangeard.
The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships, which kicked off in Glasgow and across Scotland yesterday and will culminate on August 13, will be the first to have their carbon footprint and sustainability impact tracked on the platform. As a result of the tracker, organizers will be able to calculate their carbon footprint and measure their contributions to the SDGs.
After the Championships, the platform will be proposed to all cycling stakeholders including National Federations, UCI Teams and event organizers. The tool intends to directly support the cycling family to develop action plans and track and communicate social, environmental and economic impacts to globally recognized standards.
The Championships are set to publish a Sustainability Framework over the next few months based on ten high-level commitments under the pillars of People, Place and Planet. This Framework sets targets linked to the event's core commitments and key policy areas, to demonstrate the event's contributions to sustainable development in Scotland. The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in Scotland intends to provide a blueprint for future editions of the event. The Scottish Government has also placed its cycling strategy at the heart of its greener response to the climate emergency.
Source: UCI