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TCS Sports Sponsorships: Blending Sports Technology and Sustainability
Highlights
- The ReScore app developed by TCS enables sporting event organisers to measure, report, verify, and certify sustainability standards.
- The 2023 TCS London Marathon has become the biggest running event in the world to receive a gold certification from the Council for Responsible Sport.
- Like TCS, London Marathon Events has made a strong commitment to reach Net Zero carbon emissions.
On this page
Sustainability goal
TCS is committed to making sporting events around the world more sustainable through technology.
As the title partner of the TCS London Marathon, we use our technical skills and knowledge to help make the event greener. We know that sports can contribute to greater futures for all of us. As a result, participants, spectators and partners increasingly hold athletics to a higher standard.
The ReScore app
We developed ReScore, a cloud-based app, to enable sporting event organisers to measure, report, verify, and certify against sustainability standards set by the Council for Responsible Sport.
These important standards cover five key pillars of sustainable, equitable, and responsible events.
- Planning and communications
- Procurement
- Resource management
- Access and equity
- Community legacy
The ReScore app offers best practice guidance to help event organisers understand more about the standards. It enables them to upload evidence to show how they are turning their climate pledges into demonstrable action.
London wins gold
The 2023 TCS London Marathon became a benchmark event on sustainability.
The London Marathon Events (LME) used the ReScore app to measure the environmental and social impact of the marathon for the first time. This proved to be a game changer for sustainability reporting. It enabled the event to become the first in the UK to be certified and the biggest running event in the world to receive a gold certification from the Council for Responsible Sport. The ReScore app enabled LME to document their progress across the five key pillars of sustainability:
- Planning and communications: The TCS-developed event race app was downloaded by 547,510 people in 2023 and extensively featured the social and environmental programmes, such as the partnership with The Felix Project to ensure all leftover food and drink is donated to help feed local communities.
- Procurement: the partnership with Trees not Tees offered participants the option of planting a tree instead of receiving the official finisher T-shirt
- Resource management: 57% of the vehicles used for the event were electric or biodiesel-generated power
- Access and equity: There was an extensive support programme for female participants, including providing sanitary products and private areas to express breast milk if needed and a specific training plan and expert advice for Muslim runners who were training through Ramadan. Plus, the TCS Mini London Marathon continues to grow and inspire children and young people of all ages and abilities to be physically active. TCS also donates £10 for every finisher to the participating schools to spend on PE equipment
- Community legacy: Rainbow Row, a special section of the route created to celebrate London’s LGBTQAI+ community.
Improving for 2024
Like TCS, London Marathon Events has made a strong commitment to reach Net Zero carbon emissions.
This means continuing to prioritise sustainability across touchpoints at their events. At the 2024 TCS London Marathon, these efforts include:
- Encouraging the use of bottle belts and hydration vests to reduce bottles on the course.
- Placing water refill stations at the start and at one location on the course.
- Collecting clothing at the start line for charity.
- Using 100% recycled polyester for event t-shirts and recycled metal for the finisher medals.
- Collecting used trainers at the Running Show for recycling.
- Transport for London enabling free event-day travel for participants.
- Painting the climate stripes on the course.
- Staffing recycling stations.
You can find out more about our sustainable commitments at TCS at https://www.tcs.com/who-we-are/tcs-sustainable-business-carbon-neutrality
A key feature of our partnership with TCS is a focus on using technology to improve the event, which is already paying dividends. We are passionately committed to maximising our social impact and minimising the environmental impacts of the TCS London Marathon and our other events.
