Environmental sustainability in stadiums: harnessing industry drivers and priorities for improved outcomes

Purpose This paper aims to identify industry drivers and priorities that influence decision-making towards adopting environmentally sustainable (ES) features in stadiums. An “Environmentally Sustainable Stadium (ESS) Process Model” is proposed to track ES features throughout their life cycle, guiding planning, designing, construction, operation and management. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through 20 online semi-structured interviews with experts from sustainability, built environment, stadium management, mega-event planning and management and researchers. The experts’ project experiences spanned across Oceania, North America, South America, Asia and Europe. The data were recorded and transcribed through Teams and analysed using NVivo 11 application software. Findings Stadium’s ES features predominantly focus on energy, waste and materials management with some emphasis on carbon emission reductions and renewable energy sources. Emerging focus areas include flexible designs, audience (or fans) and community engagement, circular economy principles and integration with nature. Key drivers for adopting ES features include legislation and other sector-based requirements, competitive advantages and stakeholder pressures. ES feature success depends on owner support, budget, partnerships, expertise and opportunities. Major barriers include stakeholder diversity, infrastructure limitations and limited stadium-specific requirements. Practical implications This paper proposes a six-step “ESS Process Model” to support the stadium industry to holistically integrate ES features, from the initial decision-making to the implementation, ongoing improvement and stakeholder engagement. The model helps stakeholders to identify opportunities, navigate challenges and achieve continual improvement. Originality/value The ESS process model is a novel approach to integrate ES features in stadiums, through enhancing collaboration among stakeholders and overcoming challenges in choosing, implementing and maintaining ES features.