The Desert Vipers reduced its plastic consumption by a massive 35 per cent in season three of the DP World ILT20, compared to season two. This statistic headlines the second ground-breaking Plastic Impact Report for the cricket franchise that plays in the DP World ILT20, the United Arab Emirates’ own Twenty20 tournament.
It is an attempt by the Vipers to highlight how sports teams impact nature and where they can improve. The list of plastic usage measured includes performance and replica kit produced, plastic packaging of all food and drinks consumed, and a few miscellaneous items, including the team bus wrapping material.
And to mark this progress in their sustainability strategy, the Desert Vipers have partnered with Coral Eyewear as Official Eyewear Supplier for the upcoming season four of the DP World ILT20.
The agreement means Vipers players will wear Coral Eyewear’s sunglasses this season, with the products made from recycled ocean plastic.
The Vipers’ Plastic Impact Report was first published after season two, with the aim of recording the team’s plastic usage in a transparent manner. This also became a central measure of the team’s sustainable actions undertaken during their journey towards reducing the team’s negative impact on the environment.
Apart from a reduced plastic consumption of 35%, the Desert Vipers also increased the amount of recycled content from 2% to a remarkable 88%.
Some of the highlights from the report include:
● Switching to 100% recycled materials in partnership with PALMFIT in performance and replica kit in a first in franchise cricket, a switch that also reduced emissions by 51%.
● Continuing to bowl out single-use plastic water bottles from the team environment with the Bluewater Group, saving 14,400 bottles; and
● Reducing performance and team kit by 24%, due to designing for longevity.
Ben Hardy-Jones, Business Sustainability Lead at Desert Vipers, said: “By transparently highlighting our impact on nature through publishing our plastic consumption, we aim to hold ourselves accountable and show where sports teams can make a difference to people and planet.
“The first of these reports showed starkly that we had to make some changes with our kit, and our work over the past 18 months has yielded extraordinary results, thanks to the support of tremendous partners with more sustainable products.
“We aim to avoid pointless plastic and show sport that there is a better way forward with reduced material consumption, so we hope that this ground-breaking report inspires others to make changes in their own lives.”
Coral Eyewear, the team’s newly appointed Official Eyewear Supplier, shares the Desert Vipers’ sustainability goals.
Their eco-friendly sunglasses are created from waste plastic in the oceans. This partnership between the Desert Vipers and Coral Eyewear therefore goes beyond just reducing plastic consumption.
Instead, it also positively removes plastic which has already been created and is polluting our oceans, with an estimated 171 trillion pieces of plastic waste floating on the surface of the world’s oceans in 2013.
George Bailey, Founder of Coral Eyewear, said: “We are delighted to be joining the Desert Vipers as their Official Eyewear Supplier for Season 4 of DP World ILT20, providing our high-quality, recycled sunglasses made from rescued fishing nets.
The Vipers’ focus on eliminating plastic and prioritising nature aligns perfectly with our organisation, and we cannot wait to see the team wearing Coral Eyewear on and off the pitch.”
Jana Janotova, Senior Programme Coordinator, Sports for Nature at International Union for Conservation of Nature, further added:
“Pollution is one of the key threats to nature and biodiversity, and plastics, impacting nature everywhere from mountain tops to the ocean, are its key component. Addressing plastic pollution is not an individual sport – we need a diverse and comprehensive team composed of governments, the private sector, civil society, NGOs, and individuals on side if we are to reverse the negative trends. And sport organisations can and should play a key role in this “team”.
Desert Vipers, as cricket’s first Sports for Nature Framework signatory, are leading by example in this regard. They have taken the principles outlined in the Sports for Nature Urban Playbook and ran with it, producing a world-leading report which will inspire others to take action. We look forward to seeing their plastic impact in Season 4, as they continue to push boundaries in championing nature”.
The report comes as the IUCN World Conservation Congress has just concluded in Abu Dhabi, and Desert Vipers gear up for season four of DP World ILT20, which this term will include a first annual report to the Sports for Nature Framework, where Desert Vipers are cricket’s first signatory.
The full report can be found here: https://www.thedesertvipers.com/sustainability/desert-vipers-plastic-report/
