Sustainability Becomes Unified Action to Protect the Oceans.

As part of Olympic Agenda 2020, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) partnered with the United Nations Environment Programme to launch the #CleanSeas campaign. The objective: operationalize sustainability across the Olympic Movement and drive measurable action against ocean plastic pollution.

The campaign targeted over 200 stakeholders, National Olympic Committees (NOCs), International Federations (IFs), and Olympic commercial partners. A full implementation toolkit was developed to support adoption across vastly different organizations and geographies. The toolkit included editable templates, platform-native content, pledge language, and media assets optimized for web, broadcast, and social.

A modular content system allowed each organization to adapt the campaign while maintaining alignment with the global message. Templates covered athlete messaging, competition-day signage, and sponsor activations. To simplify execution, everything was designed for drag-and-drop use.

Launch communications were coordinated across Olympic channels with a lead statement from the IOC’s sustainability leadership. The rollout focused on speed of uptake and network effect. Within weeks, multiple NOCs, IFs, and athlete ambassadors began activating the campaign. Several sponsors integrated the framework into their own sustainability platforms.

The campaign established a consistent call to action: pledge public commitment to reduce plastic use and adopt sustainable event practices. Participation metrics were tracked across partner channels. In less than six months, #CleanSeas content reached millions across digital and broadcast platforms, with visible impact at multiple sporting events.

Rather than acting solely as a convener, the IOC served as an enabler, delivering the infrastructure needed for systemic environmental action across sport.

The result was a platform that turned sustainability from internal value into collective implementation.