Sustainability in Action Roundtable(SART): Sustainability in Major Sporting Events Recap

Sustainability in Action Roundtable(SART): Sustainability in Major Sporting Events Recap

First, we want to thank our incredible panelists, Dawn Brown, Joseph F. Hacker, PhD, AICP, Olivia Begalla, David Paull, and Tim Trefzer, as well as our amazing moderator and former Southfacer, Chandra Farley, for sharing their insights and expertise.

As Atlanta makes its final preparations to host eight FIFA World Cup matches, Southface convened a panel of experts working behind the scenes on major sporting events to explore what it takes to run them smoothly, safely, sustainably, and effectively.

The FIFA World Cup is the largest sporting event in the world, and for Atlanta it represents the city’s biggest international event since the 1996 Summer Olympics. The strategy and planning that has taken place over the past seven years since Atlanta submitted its bid to become a Host City has been crucial not only for the upcoming FIFA matches but also for positioning Atlanta to host major global events in the future.

Looking Beyond the Game

When most people think about events like the World Cup, their questions tend to focus on the game itself: Who’s playing? How much are tickets?

Far fewer people consider the massive operational challenges happening behind the scenes. How will public transit systems handle the surge in commuters? What happens to the thousands of flags, merchandise items, and food containers once the event ends? These are exactly the questions sustainability professionals are working to solve.

Panelists representing State Farm Arena and Mercedes-Benz Stadium shared how Atlanta’s major sports venues have already been tackling these challenges for years. Mercedes-Benz Stadium diverts approximately 90% of its waste away from landfills, while State Farm Arena has been recognized as the #1 NBA venue in the GOAL (Green Operations & Advanced Leadership) Awards, which highlight leadership in environmental and sustainability practices.

These venues rely on strong partnerships to achieve these outcomes. For example, State Farm Arena works with Novelis as its official aluminum recycling partner, while organizations like CompostNow help process organic waste generated during events.

State Farm Arena also engages fans directly through its Recycle & Win program, encouraging attendees to properly sort waste during games and concerts. Mercedes-Benz stadium also works to engage and educate attendees through their Sustainability Partners program, recognizing the collective and collaborative efforts that embody sustainability.

As Olivia Begalla, with State Farm Arena, noted during the panel, “Sustainability is a group project.”

The Infrastructure Behind Waste Diversion

While waste diversion often happens during and immediately after events, the real work begins much earlier. Effective programs like those of CompostNow require forethought and preplanning:

As David Paull, Cofounder of CompostNow, emphasized, successful waste diversion and composting programs are not one-size-fits-all. Each venue and organization must tailor its strategy to match its operational realities and audience. Dawn Brown outlined Mercedes-Benz Stadium’s waste reduction hierarchy, which prioritizes front-end planning to minimize downstream impacts:

Eliminate → Reduce → Reuse / Repurpose / Donate → Recycle / Compost / CHaRM

This approach ensures that sustainability is embedded in operations long before fans enter the stadium.

Moving People as Well as Materials

While managing waste is a major sustainability initiative, transportation and mobility may present an even larger challenge during global events given concerns of safety, accessibilty, and effective communication channels. Joseph F. Hacker, PhD, AICP, with the Atlanta Regional Commission, discussed how the region is preparing for the complex transportation demands the World Cup will bring.

Atlanta will host numerous overlapping events across the city—including matches, concerts, and FanFest gatherings—requiring coordination between multiple agencies responsible for:

• Parking management
• Transit operations
• Technology systems
• Public communications
• Public safety

One of the biggest logistical realities of major sporting events is timing. As Hacker explained: “Everyone arrives gradually, but everyone leaves at the same time.” Managing that surge requires careful coordination across agencies, as well as clear communication with visitors navigating an unfamiliar city.

Because the World Cup attracts a global audience, multilingual communication and accessible technology platforms will play a major role. Digital tools like the official FIFA mobile app help guide visitors through transit options, event information, and wayfinding—but these systems must also be resilient and prepared to handle the massive data demand generated by tens of thousands of attendees using cellular networks simultaneously.

Why Sustainability Matters for Global Events

So what happens once the World Cup comes and goes? If Atlanta successfully hosts a sustainable tournament, why does it matter?

According to Tim Trefzer with Honeycomb Strategies, there are several reasons:

• Major sporting events are highly visible and influential platforms
• Sustainability efforts can educate and inspire millions of fans
• Younger generations increasingly expect environmental leadership
• More event organizers now require sustainability standards as part of planning

In many cases, sustainable operations also lead to lower operating costs, increased revenue opportunities, stronger reputational value, and a better overall experience for fans and communities.

Atlanta Is Ready

While the panelists acknowledged the scale of the challenge, they also agreed that Atlanta is ready.

With years of planning, strong regional partnerships, and sustainability leadership from the city’s major venues and organizations, Atlanta has an opportunity to demonstrate how global sporting events can be managed responsibly. As Dawn Brown said,

This is our opportunity to make FIFA “happen with Atlanta and not to Atlanta.”

To learn more about how Atlanta is preparing for a more sustainable World Cup, check out the coverage from Atlanta News First, which highlights both the city’s preparations and Southface’s Sustainability in Action Roundtable discussion.

We also want to acknowledge our sponsors who made this event possible: Fox Gives, Henekom, CompostNow, and Waggoneer.