Green Event

About

Throughout its activity, HMS Sports has assumed a commitment to continuous evolution and improvement which has included the implementation of measures to reduce the environmental impact of its sport events. It was a big novelty in the eleventh edition and it returns this year with the ambition to repeat the environmental protection measures adopted last year and to promote the adoption of new measures.

Sport events have involved the use of plastic and packaging materials in large quantities, which is a challenge for the pickup and treatment of waste. But not only: there are problems of mobility, carbon dioxide emissions and, above all, the education of workers, employees and participants.

In this context, we establish a sustainability plan that will seek to materialize intervention measures in four critical environmental areas:

• 1: logistics and communication
• 2: mobility and transport
• 3: reduction and reuse of materials
• 4: awareness and pedagogy

The responsibility of a sports organizer like HMS Sports is to ensure that messages transmitted to this audience before, during and after the event have a positive impact on society.

It is also important to recognize that organizing a sport event has a significant environmental impact and it is possible to improve and reduce the footprint of each event. Thus, HMS Sports intends to be an example of environmental policies to follow, while at the same time seeks to be in harmony with one of the biggest concerns of its public: the environment.

So, we designed a sustainability plan which provides for a set of real measures to apply in sport events.

So far, these are the actions taken on the El Corte Inglés São Silvestre de Lisboa:

• Promotional brochure of the event printed on recycled paper;
• 85.000 plastic bags will be reduced at the event:
  • 12.500 bags that packed the t-shirts;
  • 12.500 bags that packed the bibs;
  • 12.500 bags that packed the pins in the Race Kits;
  • 23.000 bags of Race Kits - start and finish kits;
  • 11.500 plastic bags that packed the delivered apples with the finish kits;
  • 12.000 bags that packed Cofidis gift - start kit snood.
• Leaflets about the event (10 km and Clube Pelicas São Silvestre da Pequenada) in digital format, with a saving of 12.500 prints;
• Encouragement for the partners of the event to reduce the printing of promotional brochures;
• Implementation of electronic vouchers.
• Replacement of the acrylic trophies with a trophy made from reused materials (wood and metal) for the top three men and women.
• Replacement of the acrylic trophy with a plant for the Men vs Women competition.

On the day of the event, more actions are planned:

• Use of differentiated containers for promotion of recycling and separation of waste at the start and finish lines;
• Hyundai electric vehicle as the pace car;
• Use of electric cars by the organization before the event;
• Use of public power distribution units;
• Encouragement for the use of public transport by the organization and athletes, through a partnership with Fertagus.

• A Câmara Municipal de Lisboa will make available recycling containers at start and finish lines, supply stations and cloakroom.
• Sociedade Ponto Verde will be present and will make available:
  • 9 recycling structures provided at start and finish lines, supply zone and cloakroom:
    • 4 plastic structures at the supply areas
    • 2 plastic structures at the finish zone
    • 1 plastic structure + undifferentiated at the finish zone
    • 1 plastic structure + undifferentiated + paper at the finish zone
    • 1 plastic structure + undifferentiated + paper at the finish zone
  • Four backpackers encouraging recycling will be at Restauradores and Rossio Squares.

Sociedade Ponto Verde is running a awareness campaign called "It's only this time" that you can learn more here.
Soon we'll have more tips from our partner.

• Vitalis will have recycling units at the start and finish lines and also at supply stations.
• Hyundai promotes a campaign, #hyundaidátudo, under its brand social responsibility and invites athletes to donate some good condition sports equipment which will be given to Banco de Bens Doados EntreAjuda (Donation Bank).
• REFOOD will collect all food items (water, apple, orange and cereal bar) that are not picked up by athletes at the end of the race and then make the appropriate distribution to people with real needs.