Where are they now?
Find out how London Marathon Events’ award-winning initiative – Team Green – has grown and evolved since the 2025 Awards.
What did winning the 2025 Initiative of the Year Award mean to your organisation?
“It was great to share [our win] with the wider team at LME and to give recognition to the large number of colleagues that worked to make Team Green a success. External recognition is always great to receive and is a good motivator. “
How has this project evolved over the past year?
“We introduced the Team Green concept to Brighton Marathon, attracting 1500 participants to that event’s cohort in 2026. Team Green at TCS London Marathon expanded to 7,500 participants in 2026 and again, all places were filled within a matter of days. We introduced improvements such as more toilets, festival flags made from recycled tents, live air quality information for participants and (at Brighton) a reusable “speed cup” from our sustainability sponsor HydraPak so that participants could easily use the water refill points on course.”
What would you say to organisations considering entering the 2026 BASIS Sustainable Sport Awards?
“Go for it! The Awards showcase a wide variety of projects and innovations and help to demonstrate that sustainability doesn’t have to mean going without, or doing less. The external recognition you can get from entering the Awards (even if you don’t win) helps to amplify your work and your messaging and helps a wider audience to engage with sustainability in sport.”
Case Study: Team Green – TCS London Marathon
Team Green was introduced at the TCS London Marathon to demonstrate how a major mass participation event could reduce its environmental impact while engaging participants in sustainability. The initiative dedicated one participant start area to environmental action, offering 5,000 places to runners who chose to attend the event without bringing any baggage. All places were filled within three days, highlighting the demand for a more sustainable event experience.
The initiative addressed one of the biggest operational challenges of the London Marathon. As the start and finish are in different locations, participant baggage is normally transported by lorry. By asking Team Green participants to travel without baggage, the event reduced the number of transport vehicles required while also removing the need for thousands of organiser-issued baggage bags, reducing both emissions and material use.
Team Green also created a dedicated space to engage participants with the event’s wider environmental programme. Through displays, activities, and practical demonstrations, runners learned about initiatives such as water refill stations, clothing donation, compostable catering materials, and the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) to power event generators. The space encouraged participants to understand the environmental considerations behind event delivery and the role they could play in reducing impact.
The initiative also provided an opportunity to trial new ideas and showcase innovative businesses. Partners including One Good Thing demonstrated wrapper-free energy bars, while Peequals supported research into using urine as a plant fertiliser through commercial composting trials. These collaborations allowed London Marathon Events to test new products and approaches before considering wider implementation across future events.
Rather than rewarding participants with additional merchandise, Team Green focused on improving the event experience through practical enhancements such as additional seating, increased toilet provision and complimentary refreshments. This demonstrated that sustainability could be integrated into event delivery in ways that benefitted both participants and the environment.
By combining operational improvements with participant engagement, Team Green demonstrated how iconic sporting events could reduce environmental impact while encouraging more sustainable behaviours.Â
BASIS Principles demonstrated: Energy and Emissions; Transport and Travel; Engagement and Education; Procurement and Employment.