Our final sector specific Chapter of 2026 has launched, demonstrating how sport is staying true to its purpose to push the boundaries of possibility and make the industry future-fit.

Unlike the other Chapters we have published this year, sport is far less vertical and covers such a broad spectrum of sectors and industries, all with interlocking parts and dependencies. This Chapter aims to capture a slice of each, with a focus on those that orbit around the licensing industries – so apparel, merchandise, events, and sporting goods.

We are fortunate at POC to have a Sports Ambassador, Simon Gresswell, who is in and amongst conversations around sustainability in sport on a daily basis. So, to open the Chapter, Simon shares his observations and standout insights from across the sporting industry, documenting how it is evolving on its sustainability journey, the pace of change, and the urgency of such change – something that has recently become almost impossible to ignore.

There is no doubt that climate change is already having a profound impact on the way sport is played, from the grassroots up to the professional, and this of course has a knock-on effect on the rest of the industry making the products and services to support it. We’ll dive into this a little deeper and highlight some of the fantastic associations and programmes tackling this, the legislation that is most pertinent to the industry, and the eye-opening innovations that will enable it to take its next steps.