London, 10 February 2026. Last week in Parliament, BRITA hosted a high-level roundtable with senior leaders from the UK’s most influential sporting bodies, alongside parliamentarians and sustainability experts, to find a joint way forward to accelerate the transition away from single‑use plastic in sport.
Largescale sporting events can generate around 750,000 single-use plastic bottles, with fewer than half recycled. With millions of fans and participants across the UK, sport has both the visibility and influence to drive significant behaviour change. BRITA’s two-year partnership with the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) has already demonstrated the impact possible, removing almost half a million single-use bottles across the partnership to date – underscoring the need and opportunity for sector wide collaboration, a driving factor for convening the roundtable.
The roundtable comes at a pivotal moment for UK environmental policy, with the Government tightening action on single use plastics through DEFRA’s 2024 ban, the forthcoming Deposit Return Scheme, and legally binding targets under the Environment Act 2021. Mary Creagh CBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Nature, also joined the discussion, outlining how upcoming reforms – including the Deposit Return Scheme from October 2027 and changes to packaging Extended Producer Responsibility – are expected to drive higher collection rates and better support reuse, while recognising the need for well-planned transition from today’s largely linear supply systems.
The session, Race to Refill – Cutting Single‑Use Plastics in Sport, was sponsored by Henry Tufnell MP, member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee. Representatives from more than ten major organisations – including Sport England, the British Association for Sustainable Sport (BASIS), the London Marathon Group, the LTA, and leading clubs and event operators – contributed insights on infrastructure, behaviour change and policy needed to support a nationwide shift toward reducing single-use plastic across the industry.
What came through loud and clear is that people are ready to move faster, but only if the right systems are in place. Sport has the visibility, the audiences and the credibility to make reuse the norm, not the exception. Our partnership with the LTA shows what’s possible when infrastructure and behaviour change go hand in hand, and this roundtable was about taking that progress beyond individual initiatives to solutions that can work across the whole of sport.
Key themes discussed
The discussion reinforced a clear conclusion: reducing single-use plastic in sport is not a question of awareness, but of alignment. Attendees agreed that behaviour change only sticks when the right infrastructure is in place – from consistent reuse systems and clear signage, to financing models that work for grassroots clubs as well as elite venues. Some participants also observed that community engagement can be stronger where sustainability initiatives are delivered without the involvement of single-use plastic branding, highlighting the importance of coherence between messaging, partnerships and delivery.
With sport uniquely positioned to normalise reuse at scale, the roundtable highlighted a growing appetite for collaboration across governing bodies, venues, suppliers and policymakers to move from isolated pilots to shared solutions. Participants emphasised the value of clear guidance and policy frameworks in helping to level the playing field, so that organisations investing in reuse systems are supported by consistent expectations across the sector. As policy frameworks evolve, there is a clear opportunity for sport to help shape what good looks like in practice, demonstrating how coordinated action can deliver rapid progress and set a new standard for live events across the UK.
There was energy and experience in the room, along with a clear passion to ensure that sport plays its part in reducing single-use plastics at our events and venues. The best solutions are transferable and scalable and consistently align right across society. At BASIS we know that sport can be a powerful driver of change and we work with our members and partners to show the positive opportunities available for sport to benefit society and the environment at the same time.
