Welcome back to Desert Vipers’ blog! Over the last 18 months, we’ve brought you insight and analysis around what it really means to try and act sustainably in a sports organisation. We’ve focussed on a range of different topics which have hopefully been insightful, informative, and interesting.

We are delighted to announce that we have listened to your feedback on the blog, and we’re back with a new, improved format, which will be brought to you over the next 12 months. You wanted a fresh approach to sustainability in sport, making it engaging for everyone, and entertaining too. We will deliver on that. From the content perspective, we’ll be continuing to focus on Desert Vipers’ activities, but will also analyse global and regional sustainability trends across sport (and beyond). This additional insight and expertise will be provided by Carbon Happy World, who we are absolutely delighted to announce have joined the team as a Sustainability Supplier, and will co-author blogs with Desert Vipers over the next 12 months.

This isn’t just a partnership; it’s a significant milestone on our shared journey toward a sustainable future. By joining forces with the Desert Vipers team on this blog, Carbon Happy World can amplify their efforts to raise awareness and drive truly impactful discussions around carbon management and ambitious sustainability goals. Together, our aim is simple: to inspire meaningful change, champion innovative solutions, and build a vibrant community committed to achieving net zero. So, buckle up! We’re about to give you a sneak peak into what the next 12 months look like for us.

What’s the plan for Desert Vipers over the next 12 months?

The Desert Vipers have got an exciting and action-packed 12 months coming up, both on- and off-the-pitch. Firstly, we’re thrilled to announce that our CEO, Phil Oliver, won Middle East CEO of the Year at the Sports Industry Awards on 20th May! What better way to kick off the next twelve months than with this superb recognition of Phil’s and the team’s work?!

The Desert Vipers Schools Programme continues to gain traction, and has expanded in recent months to Abu Dhabi and India, after previous successes in Dubai. This programme aims to educate and inspire young children around sustainability through the medium of cricket, and has been nominated for international sustainability and sporting awards. The coming year will see further growth of the programme, with new workshops around mental wellbeing and sustainability being fully integrated into the programme. We have seen new and prestigious partners join the programme recently, such as Carrefour MAF, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, and Bluewater. Over the next few months, we will be speaking to other organisations who want to get involved, and use the platform and power of sport to tell positive brand stories around health and sustainability.

Thirdly, being a sports team we’re all about the scoreboard, so we’ll be continuing to measure and analyse our sustainability score, producing reports on our Sustainability Match, Carbon Footprint, and Plastic Impact. Aiming to go one better than last year, we’ve also started the early work on a life-cycle assessment (LCA), with support from Carbon Happy World, for our fully recycled Palmfit kit – the results of which should allow us to make more informed choices to further reduce the environmental impact of our sports kit, in partnership with Palmfit.

Finally, to hold ourselves accountable, the Desert Vipers are setting up a Sustainability Governance Board, which will hold its first meeting in June. This Board should serve to ensure that we continue to push for change at a fast rate, including all areas of the organisation. Gary Adlen from Carbon Happy World will ensure we stay on track through providing a valuable external perspective.

On-the-pitch, Season 4 of DP World ILT20 has been announced for 2nd Dec to 4th January, bringing the tournament start date five weeks earlier than last year, which is great news for our fans. However, this means that we need to be prepared much earlier, and so the hard work preparing for the season has already begun. We’ll be announcing our players in due course, so keep an eye on our socials! Who would you like to see return to the Vipers?

A spark of innovation on the Isle of Man!

Exciting things are most certainly on the horizon at Carbon Happy World too, and it all started with a little spark of recognition from the beautiful Isle of Man in the UK. We're thrilled to share that we're finalists in their prestigious Innovation Challenge 2025! This annual competition is a global stage where tech companies from around the world bring their innovation in FinTech, Cleantech, and Data & AI. It's all part of the Isle of Man's brilliant strategy to nurture a vibrant, sustainable future, offering innovators a testbed to develop and launch their big ideas.

Our challenge solution is genuinely revolutionary, thanks to the Isle of Man’s pioneering new Data Stewardship corporate structure, developed by Digital Isle of Man. This framework creates the perfect conditions for regulated and ethical data sharing between public and private sectors. It's a crucial step that allows innovation to flourish while protecting trust, security, and the public interest – a true game-changer!


We're leveraging this trusted environment to deliver live carbon data and establish clear, trackable pathways to net zero via our newly established ‘Carbon Data Foundation’. By bringing together government, businesses, and communities through shared access to meaningful data, we're not just offering a local solution; we're crafting a global blueprint. For countries with legally binding net zero targets, this presents a proven, actionable way to move from ambitious goals to successful impact.

Game-changing AI partnerships from farm to fork, and beyond!


Now, for something that truly feels like "game-changing news" (and we don't use that phrase lightly!). We've been secretly brewing something truly innovative, and we're finally ready to share the incredible news, drum roll please… we have started working with the brilliant minds at The Hartree Centre – Quantum Computer, IBM, and The Hester Institute at The University of Oxford!


Over the next 18 months (at least!), this groundbreaking project will help us gain an unprecedented understanding of the life cycle analysis of food – quite literally, from farm to fork. Using large language platforms, natural linguists' processes, and generative AI, our new data platform will allow us to confidently and accurately calculate carbon footprints for food manufacturers and retailers. (We have a feeling our friend, Ben, will especially appreciate this one!).


This collaboration isn't just exciting; it's going to supercharge our current AI development, making our carbon accounting even smarter, more insightful, and frankly, more powerful than ever before.

What a year it’s going to be for both us and Desert Vipers!

Sustainability SpotlightMinimalist

The first Sustainability Spotlight features the Desert Vipers’ Sunscreen Partner, Minimalist, to coincide with National Sunscreen Day in the UK as part of Skin Cancer Awareness Month (May) . Like Desert Vipers, Minimalist is a young brand, founded in 2020. Minimalist believes that the beauty industry requires a revolution with respect to transparency. Inaccurate advice and incorrect claims made by other beauty brands leads to consumers making the wrong decisions. Minimalist aims to hide nothing, and addresses the issue of transparency through a range of products that are straightforward, honest, and do what they claim to do. In many ways, this is similar to Desert Vipers’ approach sustainability, as we aim to be transparent in our sustainability reporting, and show fans our true sustainability score, such as when we became the first cricket team in the world to publish our carbon footprint. Our players thoroughly enjoyed using Minimalist this season to keep them safe in the warm Dubai sun. You can protect your own skin using Minimalist here.

About Carbon Happy World

Here at Carbon Happy World, we're dedicated carbon accountants and ESG software consultants. We empower businesses to measure, manage, and significantly reduce carbon emissions. By providing a range of innovative solutions and insights, we help organisations achieve their carbon net zero goals and genuinely enhance their sustainability practices. As at Carbon Happy World every calculation starts a conversation.