Dubai, UAE – June 5, 2025 – In a bold step for sustainability in sport, the Desert Vipers have released a detailed Sustainability Match Report outlining the impact of their headline sustainability fixture widely recognised as one of the lowest-emission professional sporting events ever held in the UAE.
Timed to mark World Environment Day, the report details how the Vipers, a founding team in the DP World International League T20 (ILT20), reduced the carbon footprint of a professional cricket match to just 30.86 tCO₂e, translating to an exceptionally low 8.6 kgCO₂e per fan—a rarity in global sport.
“While mega-events like the Paris 2024 Olympics (1.59 million tCO₂e) and Euro 2024 (490,000 tCO₂e) understandably carry large footprints due to international travel and scale, the Vipers’ match sets a benchmark in per capita emissions. At 8.6 kgCO₂e per attendee, this is among the most climate-conscious fan experiences in professional sport,” said Ben Hardy-Jones, Head of Sustainability and lead author of the report.
Hosted during Season 3 of ILT20, the Vipers match featured:
- 100% recycled team and fan kits, made locally
- Hospitality menus free from red meat, with reduced dairy
- Biofuel-powered pitch machinery
- Fan travel emissions limited to under 11% of total footprint
- Water-awareness labelling in hospitality menus
- A digital reach of 15.4 million and over 265,000 engagements, amplifying the sustainability message at scale, with virtually zero additional carbon impact
“As one of ILT20’s founding franchises, we wanted to show how elite sport can lead on climate action without compromising experience,” said Phil Oliver, Desert Vipers CEO and recent Middle East CEO of the Year at the SPIA Awards. “This wasn’t just about lowering emissions it was about setting a practical example others can follow.”
Though the match was a finalist at the Gulf Sustainability Awards 2024 in the “Most Sustainable Event” category, the Vipers’ ambitions reach beyond accolades. The data and design of the match are now serving as a template for the wider sports sector, as the Vipers call on teams, leagues, and venues to join them in transforming environmental standards.
Ben Hardy-Jones, who also co-authored the UAE’s first sport sustainability rules with the Dubai Sports Council, said:
“This isn’t a one-off stunt. It’s a model we’re evolving every season,” said Hardy-Jones. “Our report is open-source because we want change across the board, from stadium design to catering decisions. Sport has that power.”
With ILT20 Season 4 launching on December 2, the Desert Vipers are already planning deeper sustainability initiatives and calling on the global cricket community to help make sport a force for environmental good.
Read the full report and comment below: [SEASON 3 SUSTAINABILITY MATCH REPORT]
Media enquiries and interviews: hannah@thedesertvipers.com
Website: www.thedesertvipers.com
