A New Alliance for a Greener Commonwealth Games
- Kate McNab
- 10 minutes ago
- 3 min read
This morning, at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, the Royal Commonwealth Society joined forces with the Sustainable Markets Initiative and Commonwealth Sport to launch a new alliance aimed at making sporting events across the Commonwealth more sustainable.
The alliance was announced at the Commonwealth Sustainable Events Breakfast Roundtable, co-hosted by Sustainable Markets Initiative, Glasgow 2026, Commonwealth Sport and the Royal Commonwealth Society. Leaders from sport, government, business and the sustainability sector gathered to discuss what a lasting legacy for future Commonwealth events could look like in practice.
At the centre of the alliance is a new Commonwealth Sustainable Events Network, giving current and future hosts of the Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth Youth Games and other major events a shared platform to exchange insights, share proven solutions, and speed up the adoption of sustainable event practices.
Sport reaches more than four billion fans worldwide. With 56 member nations and one of the most diverse sporting communities on earth, the Commonwealth is well placed to demonstrate what a more sustainable, inclusive and economically resilient approach to major events can look like.
The alliance builds on the King's Baton Relay Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign, which mobilised communities across all 74 Commonwealth nations and territories and removed more than one million pieces of plastic from rivers, coastlines and waterways, proof that a major sporting event can leave behind more than medals.
It also sits within Sustainable Markets Initiative's Sport Pathfinder initiative, which brings together organisations across sport, finance, media, technology and events to help make sustainability the default across global sport, rather than the exception.
Work from the alliance will feed into the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Antigua and Barbuda later this year, where the aim is to show, concretely, how sport can support the Commonwealth's wider sustainability goals.
Elizabeth van der Valk, Chief Operating Officer of the Royal Commonwealth Society, said: "The Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign has shown that major sporting events can create lasting environmental and community impact. Together with more than 50 partner organisations, over 15,000 volunteers and communities across all 74 Commonwealth nations and territories, we have prevented more than one million pieces of plastic from entering our waterways.
The campaign's legacy is the blueprint it provides for the future. By sharing the lessons, partnerships and practical approaches that made this initiative successful, we can help future sporting and major events deliver lasting benefits for communities, the environment and future generations."
ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN
The Royal Commonwealth Society’s Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign has prevented over one million pieces of plastic from entering Commonwealth waters.
The campaign will combine education and local action to encourage people to reduce their plastic waste, highlight alternatives, and reduce pollution across the Commonwealth.
For the action component of the campaign, the Royal Commonwealth Society has partnered with Commonwealth Sport to deliver the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign as a core component of The King’s Baton Relay. This newly envisioned King’s Baton Relay will focus on sustainability and environmentalism and was launched by His Majesty The King at Buckingham Palace on Commonwealth Day 2025, beginning a 500-day journey to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July 2026.
Journeying through every Commonwealth nation and territory, this partnership brought together young people, athletes, conservation groups, and the local community for a week of activities, including a plastic clean-up.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Royal Commonwealth Society.