The Great Run Company 2024 Environmental Report
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The Great Run Company
2024 Environmental Report
Environmental Report 2024
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The Great Run Company
2024 Environmental Report
2024 Environmental Report
Contents
Foreword An Unsporting Climate 2024 Events
3 4 6 7, 8 9 10 11 12 13, 14 15 - 17 18, 19 20 21 22, 23 24, 25 26 27 - 31
2024 Highlights and lowlights Carbon Footprint – The Basics Defining our Scopes of Influence
A Baseline Year Intensity Metrics
Total Carbon Footprint Travel and Transport Kit & Clothing Giveaways Accommodation
Food & Drink Energy & Fuel Branding & Signage Waste The Great Run Company buildings Data gaps 2025 Focus areas Acknowledgments
33 34 35 36
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The Great Run Company
2024 Environmental Report
Foreword
The Great Run Company’s 2024 Environmental Report marks a key milestone in our sustainability journey. As organisers of Great Run, Great Swim, and adventure events, we recognise our responsibility to reduce our environmental impact while delivering outstanding experiences for participants. Over the past year, we have faced increasing weather-related challenges, from rising temperatures affecting runner safety to storms and heavy rainfall disrupting logistics. The cancellation of the Great South Run due to extreme weather highlighted the need for greater resilience and sustainability in event planning. In 2024, we expanded our data collection to gain a more complete understanding of our environmental footprint. For the first time, our carbon assessment includes: • Participant Travel: The largest contributor to our footprint, now including all forms of travel, from domestic journeys to international flights. • Energy & Fuel: New measurements include battery storage use and electric event vehicles. • Accommodation: Expanded data on hotel stays for elite athletes, staff, volunteers, and suppliers. • Food & Drink: A more detailed analysis covering meals provided to participants, staff, and hospitality services. • Waste & Recycling: New tracking of office waste, clothing disposal, and additional recycling efforts.
This enhanced dataset, along with feedback from over 9,000 participants in our end-of-year survey, enables us to refine reduction strategies, set clear targets, and align more closely with sustainability frameworks. Last year, we removed plastic bottles from the Great North 10K, eliminated foil blankets (except for the Great North Run), and expanded opt-outs for finisher T-shirts, reducing thousands of kilograms of CO2e. Looking ahead, we remain committed to improving our sustainability efforts. We will continue exploring lower-impact transport options, increasing recycling rates, transitioning further towards renewable energy, and minimising single-use plastics across our events. Sport has a unique opportunity to lead by example. By making informed, responsible choices, we can ensure that our events not only provide memorable experiences but also contribute to a more sustainable future. We invite our participants, partners, and stakeholders to join us in this ongoing journey towards reducing our environmental footprint and creating long-lasting positive change.
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2024 Environmental Report
An Unsporting Climate
2024 was officially the hottest year on record with average global temperatures exceeding the internationally agreed 1.5 degrees Celsius warming threshold. Europe is the fastest warming continent and it has been projected that, the higher the level of global warming, the higher the frequency and severity of extreme heat, droughts, rainfall, and flooding in the UK. These high-impact weather events will cause significant disruptions across the UK, affecting sectors such as health, transport, agriculture, and sport. Extreme Heat Extreme heat events have increased in frequency and magnitude across the world due to climate change. Prolonged exposure to heat causes significant stress on the human body, leading to heat exhaustion and/or the exacerbation of pre- existing health conditions. This is of particular concern for those who participate, spectate, work, and volunteer at outdoor sporting events, who are at the greatest risk of heat-related illness. As a result, running events are experiencing an increase in cancellations or postponements, health incidents at events despite increasing water and medical provisions, and organisers are now attending regular heat stress workshops to prepare for the heatwaves to come.
Flash Floods The Environment Agency has warned that intense bouts of flooding in the UK are set to becoming more frequent, linking the pattern of severe flooding over the past 10 years to an increase in extreme weather events as the country’s climate changes. In 2023, the hottest Great North Run on record was abruptly followed by <55mm of rain within an hour, resulting in flash flooding across the borough. This had a significant effect on the thousands of spectators and participants crossing the finish and on their way home, leaving many stranded with road closures and cancellations across the transport network. Increasing Frequency and Intensity of Storms A leading team of climate scientists found that climate change made the heavy storm downpours and total rainfall across the UK between 2023- 2024 more frequent and intense. Storm Ashley was one such event, which led to the cancellation of the Great South Run in the interest of our participants, staff, and volunteers but at the expense of the emissions embodied in the transport, infrastructure, clothing, medals, giveaways, and not least everyone’s time and energy, that went into the event. However, scientists and IPCC1 reports affirm that several climate futures are still possible and depend on the decisions taken now to change our current model and keep global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius.
“Blazing temperatures in 2024 require trail-blazing climate action in 2025. There’s still time to avoid the worst of climate catastrophe. But leaders must act — now,”
Antonio Gutérres UN Secretary-General
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2024 Environmental Report
Sport’s Role in Climate Action
As the world faces the urgent challenge of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C, all sectors, including sports, must contribute to ambitious and effective climate action. Event organisers hold a unique position to lead by example. Sport events contribute to climate change through travel, energy use, waste generation, food, apparel, and other associated activities, as this report will go on to describe. However, they also have the power to drive meaningful climate action.
Taking Responsibility Measuring, reducing, and reporting their climate footprint to align with national and international goals and commitments.
In 2018, UN Climate Change launched the Sports for Climate Action Framework with two overarching objectives: achieving a clear trajectory for the global sports community to combat climate change and using sports as a unifying tool to drive climate awareness and action. When signing up to this framework, organisers commit to achieve the goal of the Paris Agreement of climate neutrality by 2050, with their climate efforts also contributing to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDGs 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15.
Incentivising Action
Inspiring change within and beyond the sporting community.
Driving Awareness Using their platform to educate and engage participants, spectators, suppliers, and key stakeholders about climate action.
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About the Great Run Company
AJ BELL GREAT SCOTTISH RUN
We are the owners and operators of the Great Run Series, including the Great North Run – the world’s biggest half-marathon . Our team of event experts boast a broad range of experience in mass participation sport. As well as our owned events, we work with brands, corporates, charities, Local Authorities and Sports Governing Bodies to consult, create and deliver high quality event experiences. Established in 1981, the Great North Run is now the world’s biggest Half Marathon. Every year the world’s greatest distance runners compete in the race, which is televised live on the BBC. An international broadcast is distributed to 127 countries. 60,000 fun runners take part, and 250,000 spectators line the course. 10,000 children take part in kids races around the Newcastle Gateshead Quayside on the Saturday. With participants travelling from every postcode in the UK to take part, we deliver £35m of positive economic impact to the North East. 55% of UK population are “familiar” with the event, with almost 1.3m having taken part since 1981. We’ve created a nationwide series of events based on the successful formula of the Great North Run. Events take place in 6 locations between May-October each year:
(GLASGOW)
AJ BELL GREAT NORTH RUN AJ BELL GREAT NORTH 5K AJ BELL GREAT NORTH 10K
ARLA GREAT NORTH SWIM (WINDERMERE)
Great Run Events Adventure Events
13 VALLEYS ULTRA (LAKE DISTRICT)
ULTRA NORTH
AJ BELL GREAT MANCHESTER RUN
AJ BELL GREAT BIRMINGHAM RUN
ULTRA LONDON
AJ BELL GREAT BRISTOL RUN
*
AJ BELL GREAT SOUTH RUN (PORTSMOUTH) Sunday event cancelled due to adverse weather
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2024 Environmental Report
What Went Well
We changed the material type of all finisher bags and medal lanyards to more sustainable materials.
from the 2024 Great North 10k, saved an estimated 300kg of CO₂e emissions Removing all plastic water bottles
Our permanent staff completed “Carbon Literacy Training for the Sports industry”, aimed at assessing everyday activities and the ability and motivation to reduce emissions on an individual, community and organisational basis.
was saved by removing foil blankets from all events (except GNR) 7492kg CO2e
We removed finisher bags from the Great North Swim and Great Birmingham Run
Engagement with Bristol City Council and Manchester City Council for Green Events Code of Practice (GECOP) – Pre and post event evaluations concluded.
We saw an increase in Finisher’s T-shirt Ops out by all participants T-shirt Opt Out
Our staff volunteered at Gibside to help with woodland management
responses from our end of year participant engagement survey 9,490
responses from PEQ questionnaire. (compared with 13,369 *which included the Great South Run) 12,149
2nd year partnership with Jog on with unwanted shoes being re distributed to partners across the UK
We introduced Wattsun power packs at our events to reduce the need for other temporary power provision.
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2024 Environmental Report
What Didn’t Go So Well
We provided more bottles to cater for additional 33% increase in participants numbers.
We were unable to obtain waste transfer notes from all events.
We were unable to properly segregate our waste streams at a number of events.
Some journeys to events were not optimised.
We struggled to re cycle left over clothing at a number of events – hampered by rain and bad weather.
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Carbon Footprint – The Basics
“What gets measured gets managed” - Peter Drucker
Hotspots
Identifying the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions
The Greenhouse Gas Protoco l
The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) is a globally recognised framework for measuring, managing, and reporting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It arose when the WRI and WBCSD recognised the need for an international standard for corporate GHG accounting and reporting in the late 1990s.
This popular statement highlights the challenge organisers face in taking appropriate action without a quantitative data baseline. Using a carbon footprint, which measures and quantifies the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated by each event, enables us to measure all aspects of our event and identify the areas of highest impact and influence.
Low-hanging fruit
Identifying areas where significant emission reductions can be achieved using relatively simple measures.
Benchmarking
Providing us with benchmarks to measure year-on-year progress
Informed Decision Making
Using data-driven insights to implement targeted reduction strategies
Advantages of calculating our carbon footprint include:
Measurement Units
The Greenhouse Gas Protocol stipulates that all greenhouse gases, including methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and refrigerants, should be recorded alongside carbon dioxide (CO2). Since each greenhouse gas contributes to global warming in varying degrees, they are converted into CO2 equivalents using specific conversion factors, measured in kg CO2e. For convenience, significant emissions are reported in tonnes of CO2e (tCO2e), where 1 tCO2e equals 1,000 kg CO2e.
Adhering to Regulations
Ensuring compliance with current and future environmental laws and regulations.
Engagement and Awareness
Tracking and reporting our data raises greater awareness amongst all stakeholder groups about the event sector’s impacts
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2024 Environmental Report
Defining our Scopes of Influence According to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, all emissions must be classified into one of three categories: Scope 1, Scope 2, or Scope 3:
Consequently, we have included the following scope elements in our carbon reporting:
When defining the scope of our carbon footprint, the following criteria were considered:
0%
Scope 1 Event Vehicles (petrol, diesel), Generator Fuel 0 tonnes
Causality Whether the emissions in question are a direct result of the event or would have occurred regardless of it. Stakeholder Perspectives To ensure the carbon footprint scope aligns with the perspectives and priorities of those directly involved in or affected by our events. Influenceability Whether stakeholders involved can partially or fully influence the emissions. Regulatory and Industry Standards To align with internationally recognised methodologies, including the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, and comply with relevant laws, regulations, and industry best practices. Life Cycle Perspective The emissions across the life cycle of each event, from planning and production to post-event impacts.
Scope 1 Emissions are ‘direct’ emissions from owned or controlled sources*. Scope 2 Emissions are ‘indirect’ emissions from the production of the energy an organisation purchases. Scope 3 Emissions include all ‘indirect’ emissions not directly generated by the organisation, including those produced by customers using an organisation’s products/services and emissions generated by suppliers in the production and delivery of the goods/services an organisation uses. Note *As our event vehicles and generators are hired and operated by a third-party; this data is included in Scope 3.
0.2%
Scope 2 Great Run Office and Warehouse electricity
12.6 tonnes
99.8%
Scope 3 Event Vehicles, Generator Fuel, Waste, Travel and Transport, Accommodation, Food & Drink, Kit & Clothing, Branding & Signage, Giveaways
7,989.7 tonnes
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A Baseline Year
Staff travel Volunteer travel Supplier travel Elite athlete travel Participant travel
Travel & Transport
Although we have measured our carbon footprint in previous years, we were unable to capture the full extent of all three reporting scopes, particularly Scope 3. In 2024, our team, stakeholders, and suppliers dedicated significant time and effort in collecting and reporting all of our environmental impacts to establish 2024 as our baseline year; against which we will set reduction targets and measure year-on-year progress. As a result, our 2024 carbon footprint is substantially higher than what was reported in previous years by including more data than ever before:
Staff & Volunteer clothing Finisher t-shirts
Kit & Clothing
Finisher medals & trophies Finisher bags incl. Contents Participant items Staff accommodation Volunteer accommodation Supplier accommodation Elite athlete accommodation Staff, Volunteer, Elite food & drink Hospitality food & drink Participant nutrition Participant bottled water Mains water Generator fuels Battery storage electricity Event vehicle fuels Electric vehicle electricity Office/Warehouse electricity
Giveaways
Accommodation
Food & Drink
Energy & Gel
Signage Printed materials
Branding & SIgnage
Head office commercial waste General waste Dry mixed recyclables Paper & Card Plastics Clothing & footwear
Waste
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Intensity Metrics Whilst the total and event carbon footprints are useful metrics, they do not necessarily provide accurate comparisons between events, nor a true reflection of year-on-year progress due to the varying numbers of events held each year and participants attending each event. To offer more meaningful comparisons, we have introduced the following intensity metrics which measure the per-participant intensity for each of our main reporting categories, with a breakdown per event.
Total carbon footprint per participant (kg CO2e/participant) The total emissions for the event divided by the associated number of participants.
Waste: Waste per participant (kg Waste/participant)
The total weight of the waste collected divided by the number of participants.
Travel & Transport emissions per participant (kg CO2e/participant)
Waste: Plastic water bottles per participant (number of bottles/ participant) The total number of plastic water bottles divided by the number of participants.
The total emissions from all travel & transport at the event divided by the associated number of participants. A second metric is provided for the emissions solely from participant travel.
Giveaway emissions per participant (kg CO2e/participant) The emissions from ‘Giveaway’ items for the event divided by the associated number of participants.
Kit & Clothing: Finisher T-Shirts opt-outs (kg CO2e avoided) The number of participants who chose to donate to our environmental partners instead of receiving a Finisher T-Shirt.
Waste: Recycling rate (% of total waste that is recycled)
Food & Drink: Staff Meals (kg CO2e per main meal)
The % of the total weight of the collected waste that is recycled.
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Total Carbon Footprint The most significant emission from each event comes from participant travel, exceeding 85% in some cases. Emissions from participant travel
Total Carbon footprint (incl. Participant Travel)
Total Carbon Footprint (excl. Participant Travel)
87.5% 7009.154t CO2e
6.8%
Travel & Transport
544.438t CO2e
37.6% 579.629t CO2e
7.2%
are particularly high in events which attract international participants, such as the Great North Run, or in more remote locations, such as the Lake District, where access is largely via cars. For context, it can be helpful to exclude participant travel to allow for greater focus on the other direct and indirect emissions at our events. We will therefore compare the contributions of each category to the overall footprint both including and excluding participant travel.
Kit & Clothing
579.629t CO2e
3.5%
18.3% 282.265t CO2e
Giveaways
282.265t CO2e
1.0%
5.3%
Accommodation
81.490t CO2e
81.490t CO2e
0.4%
2.0%
Food & Drink
30.200t CO2e
30.200t CO2e
Total (incl. travel)
Total (excl. travel)
0.3%
1.3%
Energy & Fuel
8006.5t CO2e 1541.9t CO2e
20.372t CO2e
20.372t CO2e
<0.1% 2.122t CO2e
<0.1% 2.122t CO2e <0.1% 1.269t CO2e
Branding and Signage
Intensity Metric (carbon footprint per participant including travel)
52.82kg CO2e
<0.1% 1.269t CO2e
Waste
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177.90
Carbon footprint per participant (incl. travel)
The carbon footprint per participant is measured for each event and the average of all events. This provides a starting point from which we can compare events and measure year-on-year progress.
144.34
Average Participant Footprint in 2024
52.8
90.92
79.90
35
52.85
47.42
10.2
32.56
29.09
26.22
21.04
20.25
14.65
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2024 Environmental Report
6465 tCO2e
Travel & Transport
The total Travel & Transport footprint was 7009.5 t CO2e, representing almost 88% of our total footprint in 2024. The graph shows the contribution from each ‘group’.
512 tCO2e
Total Footprint
7009.5t CO2e
15 tCO2e
10 tCO2e
4 tCO2e
2 tCO2e
Intensity Metric
42.67kg CO2e
0.2% 0.0% 7.3% 0.1% 92.2%
0.2%
Staff Travel
Elite Travel
Volunteer Travel
Participant Travel
Event Vehicles
Supplier Travel
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Staff Travel 59% of the distance was travelled by train which only contributed to 15% of the total staff travel emissions. By contrast, cars and flights together accounted for 72% of the travel emissions but only 36% of the distance travelled.
Distance travelled from Staff Travel by transport mode
t CO3e emissions from Staff Travel transport mode
Flight
Flight 22%
Car
Van Taxi Bus
50%
Train 15%
Car
Taxi 1% 2% Bus
10%
Van
Train
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Participant Travel The city centre events are generally lower intensity due to attendance by local participants and the availability of public transport networks, except the Great North Run which attracts a high number of international participants who travel by air. The high intensities at remote events, such as Great North Swim and 13 Valleys, are due to the high use of cars and low public transport availability. Providing a breakdown of the travel modes per event enables us to identify where the appropriate low-carbon travel initiatives can be introduced.
Emissions by travel mode per event
Travel Mode
GBirR
GBriR
GMR
GNS
UL
GN10K
UN
GNR
13V
GScoR
75.1% 0% 0.5%
75.1% 12.8% 6.4%
74.9% 0% 0.1%
87.2% 0% 0%
85.9% 0% 0%
50.9% 0% 0% 0% 0% 13.7% 0% 35.4%
97.2% 0% 0%
78% 0% 0%
88.7% 0% 0%
86% 0% 0% 0% 0% 3.6% 0% 9.8%
Car
Van
Bus
12%
0% 0% 0% 3.9% 2%
15%
0% 0% 3.7% 0% 9.2%
12.6%
1.5%
0% 0% 5% 0.3% 16.7%
0% 0% 4.2% 0% 7.1%
Train
0% 0%
0% 0%
0% 0%
0% 0%
Bicycle
Walking
Flight - Domestic
3.8% 8.6%
5.8% 4.2%
0.6% 0.9%
0.4% 0.9%
Flight - International
Note: Walking / Cycling classed as ‘active transport’ or ‘low carbon modes of transport’ with zero emission as reported by DEFRA and Department of Transport.
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Kit & Clothing
Kit & Clothing Intensity Emissions by %
97%
3%
Finishers’ T-shirts
Staff and volunteering clothing
Kit & Clothing includes the clothing and apparel worn by our staff and volunteers during the event, and the finisher t-shirts awarded to participants at the finish line. In 2024, we purchased and distributed around 165,000 items, producing a carbon footprint of 580 t CO2e . This makes Kit and Clothing the second largest contributor to our 2024 footprint at 7% and over a third (38%) when excluding participant travel.
Clothing footprint per participant Kg CO2e per participant
The chart below shows the carbon intensity due to Kit & Clothing on a per participant basis for each event. Finisher T-Shirts were not provided at the 13 Valleys event
Total Footprint (incl. participant travel) 580t CO2e
3.48
3.13
2.83
2.69
2.61 2.61
2.15
2.17 2.19
1.91 2.06
Intensity Metric
0.001
3.72kg CO2e
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In previous years, we purchased finisher T-Shirts based on the number of registrants at our events. As a consequence, many became surplus from participants who did not start or finish, or from those did not want a T-shirt in the first place. Accordingly, we introduced an ‘opt out’ option where participants can choose to forgo their finisher T-Shirts and we make a donation to the National Trust Woodlands Appeal . We measure the success of this initiative by comparing the % of participants opting out of a T-Shirt across other events and previous years, as seen in the table.
Event
2023 Opt-Outs
2024 Opt-Outs
16% 17% 16% 12% 13% 12% 11% 8% 14% 15%
15% 17% 13% 11% 18% 13% 11% 6% 14% 14%
Great Birmingham Run
Great Bristol Run
Great Manchester Run
Great North Swim
Ultra London
Great North 10K
Ultra North
Great North Run
Great Scottish Run
Great South Run
Average
14%
13%
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Giveaways ‘Giveaways’ refers to all items offered to participants as part of the event, including finisher medals, trophies, finisher bags and the contents within (a range of snacks and sponsor- provided items), runner bibs with timing chips, swim hats, and foil blankets.
Giveaway Items Emissions by %
73%
22% 5%
Finishers’ T-shirts
Finisher Medals & Trophies
Participant tems
Giveaways footprint per participant Kg CO2e per participant
The chart below shows the carbon intensity due to Giveaways on a per participant basis for each event. Finisher bags were not provided at the ultra-distance events, hence the lower values.
Total Footprint 282t CO2e
2.63
2.20
1.86
Intensity Metric 1.86kg CO2e
1.60
1.04 1.02 1.13
0.35 0.46 0.38
0.20
N/A
Event examples: We changed the material of our medal lanyards this year from polyester (PET) in 2023 to recycled polyester (rPET), which saved 1473 kgCO2e . At the Great North Swim and Great Birmingham Run, we presented all giveaways in a ‘buffet-style’ on tables at the finish line. Removing the 14,738 finisher bags saved 550 kg CO2e .
‘Finisher bags’ included the following items: Squashies, Nature Valley Bars, Fruitella Jellies, 2 x Mitchum Deodorants, Solgar Vitamin Sachet .
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Accommodation
The Accommodation footprint was 80 t CO2e, representing 1% of our total footprint in 2024. When excluding participant travel, Accommodation has more significance at 5%. Accommodation includes the hotel rooms used by our staff, volunteers, on-site supplier teams, and invited elite athletes. Participant accommodation is out of scope. Where possible, we invite volunteers and suppliers who are local to each event location to minimise the impacts from travel and accommodation.
Total Footprint 80t CO2e
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Food & Drink
The graph below shows the contribution by each ‘group’. Meals provided to our staff, elite athletes, suppliers, and volunteers were the largest contributors to the total emissions.
18%
The Food & Drink footprint was 30t CO2e, representing 0.4% of our total footprint for 2024. When excluding participant travel, Food & Drink has more significance at 2%.
Participant event nutrition
For the purposes of our carbon reporting, Food & Drink includes:
Meals provided to our staff, volunteers and suppliers, such as packed lunches and hotel meals.
63%
Food provided to participants at the aid stations of ultra events.
Staff, Elite Athletes,
Suppliers & Volunteers
Total Footprint
Bottled water provided at the city- based events.
30t CO2e
Any food & drink served from hospitality providers.
0%*
*Note Hospitality food not recorded in 2024.
Hospitality
Intensity Metric
19%
1.5kg CO2e
Participant bottled water
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Staff Meals While meat-based meals were chosen by just over half of the staff group (54%), they caused a disproportionate 84% of the total emissions.
% meals served by dietary choice
kg CO2e emissions from staff meals by dietary choice
15% 1%
84%
Vegan 12%
54%
34%
Meat 15275
Vegetarian
Vegan
Meat
Vegetarian
2627
216
Food & Drink Intensity Kg CO2e per participant
The graph below shows the carbon intensity due to Food & Drink on a per participant basis for each event. Food was only provided at the aid stations of ultra-distance events. 13 Valleys has a particularly high footprint due to the combination of being our longest events, hence needing to provide ample food to sustain runners over these distances, and containing a number of high carbon items.
3.40
1.03
0.99
0.53
0.21 0.21 0.15 0.16
0.09
0.14
0.06
N/A
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Energy & Fuel The footprint of Energy & Fuels was 20 t CO2e, representing 0.2% of our total footprint in 2024.
89%
11%
Energy & Fuel emissions Usage by t CO2e, %
Electricity
Generator Fuel
18,169
2,212
For the purpose of our carbon footprint reporting, Energy and Fuel specifically relates to:
- Electricity used at our office and warehouse. - Electricity used to charge generator battery storage units. - Fuels used by our generator sets at the event venues. We also use fuels in the vehicles that we operate during each event, but we elected to include those emissions in the Travel & Transport category of this report.
Objective: Reduce diesel usage at events by 30% by switching to battery generators, generators powered by HVO fuel and other more sustainable solutions.
Events
2023 Diesel (l)
HVO Battery + HVO Battery + HVO Battery + HVO 805 2024 Diesel (l)
Difference
Carbon Savings (kgCO2e)
-1028 -598
-409 -238
409 238
Great Birmingham Run Great Bristol Run Great Manchester Run Junior GMR Great North Swim Ultra London Great North 10K Ultra North Great North Run Junior GNR 13 Valleys Ultra Great Scottish Run Junior GScotR Great South Run Junior GSR Total
0 0 887
0 0 353
Battery + HVO Battery + HVO 452 n/a Battery + HVO
Data Gap Data Gap Data Gap -302 Data Gap 0 Data Gap Data Gap Data Gap Data Gap -1040
Data Gap Data Gap Data Gap -120 Data Gap 0 Data Gap Data Gap
Data Gap Data Gap Data Gap HVO Data Gap Battery
n/a 120 481 n/a
Total Footprint 20t CO2e
Data Gap Data Gap Event Cancelled Battery + HVO 805
Battery Battery
0 0 -414
HVO HVO 1700
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Current Initiatives To meet the UK’s legally-binding target to be net zero across the economy by 2050, the government declared that all electricity should be generated from ‘clean’ sources by 2035. Accordingly, we have been transitioning away from using diesel in our event generators to HVO fuel, a renewable biofuel source which can reduce net reportable emissions by up to 90%. In 2024, we used 1347 litres of HVO to power our generators, reducing our emissions by 3.3 t CO2e compared to diesel fuel. We have also introduced hybrid energy systems at some events which are HVO fuelled generators integrated with a battery storage unit. These offer the additional benefit of only running when the battery needs charging, rather than running continuously
Unable to compare diesel usage in 2023 vs 2024 due to Data Gaps.
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Branding & Signage The carbon footprint of Branding & Signage was 2.2 t CO2e, representing <0.1% of our total footprint when including participant travel, and 0.2% when excluding participant travel.
Branding & Signage includes:
-
Signs and banners purchased for our events
- Printed materials (flyers, brochures, guides) distributed to residents, local businesses, staff and volunteers. We have only recorded the signs and banners that are ‘new’ this year, since many are reused over a number of events and years.
Total Footprint 2.2t CO2e
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Waste
The Waste footprint is less than 0.1% of the total. This is largely due to the fact that, with the exception of landfill, reported emissions only include those produced in the transport of waste from the event to the treatment or recycling facility. Accordingly, we also measure annual improvements in waste reduction from the total volume of weight collected and the percentage recycled or reused. We are responsible for collecting and disposing of all waste generated by our events. This typically includes general (unsorted), dry mixed recycling, food/organic, paper/cardboard, clothing, and commercial waste.
Average Recycling Rate
29.7%
Average Waste per participant 0.41kg CO2e
Average Bottles per participant
4.8
Total Footprint 1.27t CO2e
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We appoint a waste management company for each event who provide the bins, set up the waste collection points, weigh the different waste types, and transport each waste type to the appropriate treatment facility. They then send us ‘waste transfer notes’ detailing the quantities and disposal methods of each waste type. We have a strict policy of ‘zero waste to landfill’.
Plastic 5%
67.5%
2%
Waste to Energy
Paper/ Cardboard 0r mixed
29.7%
0%
Recycled
Commercial Waste
Waste by weight (tonnes, %)
Waste disposal method
General Waste 68% 24%
2.8%
Reuse
Dry Mixed Recyclables (DMR)
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Waste footprint per participant The graph shows the weight of waste collected on a per participant basis for each event. No waste data was available for the Ultra North and Ultra London events. The waste stream data from Great Run events indicates that the majority of waste (68% by weight) is classified as general waste sent to energy recovery, with a smaller proportion recycled (29.4%) and a minimal amount reused (2.7%). This pattern is typical for large-scale public events where: • Contamination and sorting issues make much of the waste unsuitable for recycling. • Single-use items (e.g., food packaging, drink containers) dominate and are often non- recyclable or mixed materials. • High footfall and limited on-site segregation mean recyclables often end up in general waste. • Reuse is minimal due to the nature of disposable items used during events.
Waste Intensity kg waste collected per participant
0.79
0.62
0.41
0.30
0.22
0.17
0.16
0.05
0.12
N/A
N/A
N/A
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2024 Environmental Report
Plastic Water Bottle Intensity Bottles per participant
Plastic Waste The graph shows the number of plastic water bottles provided to the participants during the events. Bottled water is not provided at all events, runners in the ultra-distance events carry their own reusable hydration systems which they refill at the aid stations, and The Great North 10k was bottle- free in 2024.
7.6
4.8
Overall, extra bottled water was provided in 2024 due to a 33% increase in participation numbers.
4.0
3.6 3.6
3.3
0.0
0.0 0.0 0.0
0.0
N/A
=
Bottle of water
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Waste Recycling Rate % of total weight of waste collected
Recycling Rates The recycling rate for each event, and the average, is shown in the chart below. The % shown is a measurement of the total weight of all waste collected that is sent for recycling. There was no waste data for Ultra North, Ultra London, 13 Valleys and Great South Run (as event was cancelled). The 2024 recycling rate across our events was 29.7% . For context, the UK domestic waste collections is currently at 44.1% , so there is an opportunity to improve this rate.
77.3 78.0
63.2
50.8
33.5
29.7
21.2
12.6
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Differences in recycling rates are often due to improper waste segregation or contamination of waste streams by participants, spectators, and volunteers, as noted by several waste contractors.
Variances in recycling rates are often a consequence of improper waste segregation or contaminated waste streams by participants, spectators, and volunteers, which was cited by a few waste contractors.
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The Great Run Company buildings The Great Run Company operates from two buildings: a head office and a warehouse facility. As the operators of these premises, we are responsible for the carbon emissions and waste generated within. The carbon footprint from the head office buildings and operations was 18.6 t CO2e , representing <0.1% of our total footprint when including participant travel, and 1.0% when excluding participant travel. Electricity consumption accounted for 96% of the head office total. Our staff business travel (where not event specific), and the waste we produce also contributed, but to a much lesser extent.
Total Footprint 18.6t CO2e
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Data Gaps Overall, the data collection for 2024 events and activities was very comprehensive, but there were several data gaps which need to be noted and improved upon in 2025, notably volunteer travel for the first half of the year, contractor travel, the quality of waste data from several events, and generator usage. It is also worth noting that, due to the Great South Run’s cancellation , there was no data to collect at this event across waste, travel, and energy usage. Most items that were purchased for this event will be re-used in 2025 and therefore included in the carbon footprint of those events.
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2025 Focus Areas
Data Capture • All event-related data will be logged directly into a carbon calculator to validate baseline carbon emissions. • Produce individual post event calculations no later than 21 days post event. Travel & Transport • Improve travel data collection for volunteers. • Require suppliers/contractors to submit travel data for accurate Scope 3 emission calculations. • Encourage participants to share travel choices to refine emissions tracking. • Expand sustainable travel options through “You Smart Thing” at events like GNR, Birmingham, and Portsmouth. Energy & Fuel • Shift fully to HVO biofuel for generator use. • Switch head office to 100% renewable energy. • Expand battery storage electricity usage at events. • Track and log generator and battery storage use for energy efficiency monitoring. • Monitor office and warehouse electricity usage more accurately.
Single-Use Plastics • Improve Aqua Pura drink station recycle operations to boost recycling. • Provide re fill stations at all events ( both Start and finish where possible) • Swap out single-use plastic packaging in giveaways with sustainable alternatives – move to bio based or recyclable finisher bags. • Support circular recycling initiatives wherever possible – Partnering with IPAC for plastic bottle collection during GNR weekend. Event Giveaways & Kit • T-Shirts: Move to T-shirts being made from 100% recycled polyester (saving ~97tCO2e). • Medals: Change production to procure medals made using 100% recycled zinc alloy and RPET ribbons. • Finisher Bags: Move to bags to being made from bio based woven material, which are recyclable. Maximise the reuse of left over bags for future events to avoid waste. • Increase T-shirt opt-out options to avoid overproduction. • Mandate all packed lunches for volunteers will be vegetarian or vegan in 2025.
Waste Management • 100% collection of waste transfer notes post event • Increase recycling rates above 29.7%. • Enhance on-site waste separation at all events to reduce contamination. • Cut waste by eliminating unnecessary packaging prior to arrival on site. • Partner with organizations to recycle hard-to- process materials like clothing and where used foil blankets. Participant & Stakeholder Engagement • Enhance participant surveys with more detailed sustainability engagement. • Gather supplier data to evaluate environmental practices. • Continue the collaboration with city councils (e.g., Bristol, Manchester) for local green initiatives –
Green events code of Practice (GECOP) • Strengthen both internal and external communications on sustainability.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to express our sincere thanks to Ellie Wardell, Sustainability Consultant, for her invaluable contribution to the writing and development of the Great Run 2024 Environment Report. Her insight, attention to detail, and commitment to sustainability have been instrumental in shaping a comprehensive and impactful report. We are also deeply grateful to our sponsors, delivery partners, suppliers, local authorities, and key stakeholders who continue to support our sustainability journey. Their collaboration and willingness to share data and ideas have been essential in progressing many of the initiatives featured in this report. A special thanks goes to our dedicated staff and volunteers. Their hard work and openness to adopting more sustainable practices at our events are the driving force behind our continued improvements.
Finally, we extend our appreciation to all participants for their involvement, feedback, and support. Your engagement helps us evolve and ensures that sustainability remains at the heart of how we deliver Great Run events in the future. Contact for any queries regarding this report should be directed to: sustainability@thegreatruncompany.com
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