The 2025 World Aquatics Championships, held in Singapore from July 11 to August 3, showcased a pioneering commitment to sustainability in global sports. As the first Southeast Asian city to host this prestigious event, Singapore delivered world-class competition across six aquatic disciplines while setting a blueprint for environmentally responsible mega-events.
Central to the sustainability efforts was the landmark “Trash to Treasure” initiative. Organisers collected approximately 100,000 aluminium cans through a School Recycling League involving five PCF Sparkletots preschools, eight primary schools, and three secondary schools. These were processed via open-loop recycling and transformed into around 5,000 medals for both elite and Masters athletes — marking the first time in the Championships’ history that medals were made from waste aluminium.
Singapore partnered with green fintech firm MVGX as its Sustainability Solutions Partner. MVGX deployed advanced digital tools to monitor and manage carbon emissions across the event, covering travel, venue energy use, and waste management. Initiatives included real-time emissions tracking, a carbon diary feature in the official app to engage fans, educational campaigns for vendors and sponsors, and transparent sustainability reporting with carbon offsetting for unavoidable emissions.
These combined efforts positioned the Singapore 2025 Championships as a living laboratory for sustainable sporting event planning, generating best practices that could influence future global competitions. As Gabriel Wong of MVGX highlighted, the goal was to prove that environmental responsibility can enhance rather than limit top-tier sporting events.
Beyond record-breaking performances, Singapore 2025 set a new benchmark by integrating sustainability into every aspect of the Championships. From turning waste into medals to pioneering real-time carbon management, the event emerged not only as a sporting highlight but also as a beacon for climate-smart event planning.
