WBSC announces Strategic Partnership with Green Future Project to combat carbon emissions
07/03/2023 2 Minute Read

WBSC announces Strategic Partnership with Green Future Project to combat carbon emissions

A total of 1,300 trees have been planted, 1,170 m2 of forest protected, and 98,310 units of clean energy produced so far.

The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) is proud to announce its new partnership with sustainability partner Green Future Project (GFP) to help combat its carbon emissions.

On 1 January this year, the WBSC signed a cooperation agreement with GFP and its strategic partner Pilio to put in place its offset strategy for restoration and preservation of its natural ecosystem by planting trees, protecting forests and supporting projects generating clean and renewable energy.

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The WBSC is committed to providing a green template to its community, showing how sport can be an ambassador for meeting sustainability and social goals. The WBSC wants to take its sustainability efforts even further by measuring and reducing its carbon footprint and has already planted 1,300 trees – protecting 1,170 m2 of forest and producing 98,310 units of clean energy – through its partnership with GFP.

The GFP alliance follows a number of sustainability initiatives and practices launched by the WBSC, including the opening of its sustainable-focused headquarters in Pully, Switzerland, becoming a UNFCCC Sport for Climate Action Framework signatory in 2021 and creating a sustainability strategy aligned with the UN SDGs in 2022. As a Framework signatory, the WBSC is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and advocating for environmental awareness. Sustainability is also an integral part of the WBSC’s Strategic Plan 2022-2028.

WBSC President Fraccari said: “We are proud to be partnering with GFP and Pilio and it is critical that the WBSC involves its employees in being active players in these initiatives against climate change. Each WBSC employee has been included in the project and will receive a monthly recap of their positive contribution towards supporting five different environmental projects in three different continents.

“The GFP provides us with a platform where we can track and communicate our impact in real-time to all our stakeholders and partners, helping to create awareness among our community. We can also learn how to support the ecosystems that we are protecting. Collectively, the WBSC is helping regenerate mangrove ecosystems in Madagascar, protecting some of the most biodiverse reserves in Ecuador and supporting the development of Tamil Nadu Wind Farm project in India.”

Since the commencement of the partnership, the WBSC has taken a big step forward in its sustainability journey by implementing three initiatives:

  • The calculation of the carbon footprint for the 2022 period according to the International Standard for the Measurement and Reporting of Greenhouse Gases (GHG Protocol), implemented by GFP strategic partner Pilio.
  • The offsetting of the carbon footprint of the WBSC staff and officials through investment in regeneration projects, forest protection and renewable energy production.
  • The restructuring and improvement of the Sustainable Development dedicated page of the WBSC’s website as an awareness, education and reporting tool.

The WBSC sustainability strategy is a holistic framework that encompasses different goals for enabling the sport to be a tool of social development. The strategy is aligned with the UN Agenda 2030 and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).