S2:E7. Challenging Commercial Partners

Emergency on Planet Sport

A commercial deal in sport always used to be a pretty simple negotiaton: "You write the cheque, we'll endorse your brand". But that's all changing, with purpose and impact heavy factors. Climate awareness is shooting to the top of the priority list when partnerships are struck.

On episode seven, Jonathan and Melissa take an interesting case study; the partnership between Wimbledon and Evian, the bottled water brand. They've been successful partners for over a decade but the sight of empty plastics being left on Centre Court is unpalatable for an event who are making big strides on sustainability. Things need to change, both parties know it, the question is how quickly that change can be made...

So this is about challenging commercial partners; purposeful alignment, shared values, the idea that, together, some social impact could be made. And, in this example, it's about finding a creative solution to the issue of providing players with water but reducing the plastics.

We explore the topic in depth with Wimbledon's brilliant Sustainability Manager Hattie Park, working hard behind the scenes, with Evian, to make progress in this area.

In an exciting guest-spot, 2020 US Open Champion Dominic Thiem joins the pod, seemingly from a running machine. Needs must; it's great to have him on! Should the focus be on tournaments or players, when it comes to moving to the sort of reusable bottles Dominic brings to court?

Hattie takes Jonathan on an "eco-tour" of Wimbledon including obligatory visits to the food court and the bar. Melissa, quite rightly, feels left out.

This is a really inspiring episode. There is a definite change to the landscape of commercial partnerships within sport. Nobody can shout about their green credentials with respectability if they're partnering with a fossil fuel company, for example. And, in terms of existing sponsors, as Wimbledon are showing, there are creative possibilities to reform partnerships for the 21st-climate-centric-century.