Greener · Cleaner · More impactful · Carbon neutral by 2030
The road to 2030
A Marathon, not a Sprint
We measure our footprint every year with our partner Clima, set reduction targets, and cut emissions where feasible — exploring offsets only for what remains. Just as important: using our start line to influence behaviour change across the running community.
The TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions across all aspects of the event, from waste and energy use to event operations and transport.
While we continue to reduce emissions wherever possible, participant travel to and from the event remains a significant source we cannot currently eliminate.
From 2027, a carbon contribution will be included in every participant entry fee to help address these residual emissions by funding independently certified carbon projects.
Reducing emissions comes first. The carbon contribution deals only with what is left after that.
Our goal is to address all participant travel emissions through this carbon project portfolio by 2030.
Each year we measure the event's emissions with our carbon partner, Clima.
For participant travel, the calculation starts with entry data. Where each entrant travels from tells us the distance to Sydney and back, and the transport most likely used over that distance. Those journeys are converted into tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent using published emission factors.
The result is a measured figure for this event and this field, not a general estimate. It is recalculated every year, because the field changes.
Not every journey to the start line is the same. A runner catching a train from Parramatta and a runner flying in from Europe generate very different emissions, so a single flat fee would ask one to carry the other.
The contribution is set in three zones, based on where each entrant travels from.
ZoneWho it coversGreater SydneyEntrants travelling from within the Sydney metropolitan areaInterstate and New ZealandShort-haul flights and long drivesInternationalLong-haul travelEach zone is priced on the measured average emissions for entrants travelling from it, and on the cost of the carbon projects in the portfolio. Zones and prices are reviewed every year alongside the footprint.
85% of the contribution goes to purchasing carbon credits and the remaining 15% goes towards other environmental initiatives such as plastic collection in Sydney Harbour and Biodiversity outcomes in NSW.
The carbon contribution supports a carefully selected portfolio of projects in Australia and around the world, spanning:
Soil carbon projects
Indigenous-led savanna fire management
Solar power
Community cookstove projects
These projects have been selected to deliver climate outcomes aligned with the TCS Sydney Marathon sustainability strategy, supporting local communities, biodiversity and sustainable development.
Learn more about our 2027 Project Portfolio.
indigenous savanna burning
These Indigenous-led projects use traditional early-season burning to reduce the risk of larger, higher-emitting wildfires later in the year. The projects support biodiversity, cultural land management and employment opportunities for Aboriginal ranger groups and local communities.
Every project in the portfolio is certified under an independent standard and listed on a public registry. Credits are contracted before entries open, and after each event the credits are cancelled in the event's name, which permanently withdraws them from the market. We publish the cancellation records each year.
What we're doing in 2026
Follow the course: sustainability from bib pick-up to finish line
Race week
01 | Before you race
Free public transport
Included for all registered participants and volunteers travelling to the TCS Sydney Marathon Running Show and on event day, courtesy of TfNSW.
Sustainable travel guide
Smarter flights, greener meals, hotel choices and reusable gear — a guide to lower-impact travel for interstate and international runners.
Pre-loved shoe collection
Bring your retired runners to a pre-event run club or the sustainability booth at Expo. Quality footwear gets a second life instead of landfill.
Digital-first event guides
The shift from print to digital guides cuts paper waste and lowers the event's footprint before a single starter's gun fires.
Assembly areas
02 | The start line
Clothing collection bins
Drop your warm layers in the bins in assembly areas or the start chutes — everything is donated to St Vincent de Paul Society NSW and Red Nose Australia. Please don't throw items on the ground.
Recycling hubs at every start
Recycling hubs arrive in each start line assembly group, with clear signage and volunteers to help you sort it right before the gun.
42.195 km
03 | On course
More purple gel bins
Gel wrappers go in the purple bins at every drink station. Missed one? Hold on to it — there's always a next bin, or the Recycling Hub at the finish.
Solar-powered course
11 solar generators ran start venues, live sites and entertainment zones in 2025 (up from six). In 2026 we expand further, phasing out diesel and petrol.
64 ploggers on course
We're doubling our plogging fleet from 32 to 64 — runners who pick up wrappers that missed the bins, as part of the event-day course clean-up operation.
All-electric lead fleet
Elite athletes and course operations are supported by all-electric Porsche vehicles.
Recovery Village
04 | The finish line
Two Recycling Hubs
A second hub joins the Recovery Village, with 11 waste streams — bibs, bags, bottles, lids and gel wrappers — staffed by our Waste Warriors volunteers.
Bags from ocean-bound plastic
Baggage and finisher bags are made with Better Packaging Co. from recycled ocean-bound plastic. Return yours to the hub and it's reprocessed — a closed loop.
Finisher bottles that give back
100% recycled PET, collected through Return & Earn — with $0.10 per bottle donated to TriMob, a Mob-led organisation supporting swim, bike and run participation.
Reusable serving ware
Introduced across Recovery Village food and beverage areas in 2025; expanding to more vendors and areas in 2026.
Beyond the finish
Waste becomes next year's event
Plastic lids collected in 2025 are being upcycled into a new event structure for 2026 — and we keep exploring upcycling for unavoidable streams like gel wrappers.
Post-event plogging runs
After the 2025 race, the community organised five plogging runs to collect rubbish. 2026 builds on that momentum.
A growing supply-chain standard
With partners, suppliers and exhibitors we're strengthening our accepted-materials framework — eliminating avoidable single-use plastics and choosing recyclable or circular alternatives.
An environmental legacy
In 2025, the event contributed to the City of Sydney's Donate a Tree program — a narrow-leaved scribbly gum now grows in Giba Park as an environmental legacy.
Together we grow
When we win today, Sydney wins on event day — and our planet wins every day.
Our sustainability journey is a collective effort — participants, volunteers, spectators, partners and stakeholders. Through education, engagement and practical initiatives, we aim to empower our community to become champions of sustainability, not just on race day but in everyday habits.
Gold status
Recognition of our Sustainability Efforts
In 2025, the TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS achieved Gold Status under the World Athletics' Athletics for a Better World Standard. This marks a significant improvement from 2024, where the event achieved Silver Status.
This recognition reflects the continued progress and collective efforts made across our teams, partners and community as we work to reduce environmental impacts and inspire positive change across the running community.
The 2025 scoreboard
Last Year's Result, by the Numbers
Source: 2025 event reporting and post-event participant survey · World Athletics Athletics for a Better World: Gold, up from Silver in 2024
Also on the board
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World Athletics Gold certification
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Recycling Hub with 11 waste streams
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32 ploggers + 5 community plogging runs
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15 pairs of shoes to Shoes for Planet Earth
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7 all-electric Porsche vehicles
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Water refill stations at start & Royal Botanic Garden
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Tree planted via Donate a Tree
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Ocean-bound plastic bags on the event broadcast
Sustainability Doesn't Stop When the Race Ends
With environmental charity Pledge for the Planet — focused on getting people moving to protect the places we run — we help athletes turn simple habits into measurable collective impact.
Pledge for the Planet
Through our partnership with Pledge for the Planet, an environmental charity on a mission to get people moving to protect the places we play, we’re supporting athletes to build simple, sustainable habits into their training and everyday lives, turning individual actions into measurable collective impact.
Run The Talk: Our Kickstart Mission
In March 2026, a 21-day sport and sustainability challenge brought together run clubs and the wider community in taking simple actions and contributing to live activity and impact leaderboards, showing the power of collective action in real time.
Planet PB
Commit to a 20-week sustainability training plan alongside your marathon training, allowing you to sustainably prepare for event day through practical tips, habit-building challenges and rewards for consistent action.
Good to Know
Frequently asked questions.
partners
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