Farndale announced as Sustainability Ambassador

Farndale, 28, will begin a Masters course on sustainability at Cambridge University in September and his new role will allow him to take his learnings from the Cambridge course and help implement them within Scottish Rugby.

Farndale takes up the role with Scottish Rugby’s Board looking to sign up to the United Nations Sport for Climate Change Action Framework this summer. This aligns with World Rugby’s own Environment Sustainability Plan (ESP), aimed at halving emissions by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2040.

Further aims of World Rugby’s ESP include having Rugby World Cups and HSBC World Sevens Series climate positive by the end of the decade.

Now, in addition to continuing his preparations to win selection for Scotland for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham this summer and the Rugby World Cup Sevens in September, Scottish Rugby has asked Farndale to step into a role of increasing importance in the global sporting landscape.

“It’s not enough for modern sports fans that your team wins; modern fans want to support teams that have purpose and who take responsibility for this,” Jamie explained. “The next decade is decisive and for young people this is the future of how the world will look, and they want to know what businesses and bodies are doing to tackle it.

“I’m at the start of this journey, I’m massively passionate and driven, and I’m so proud to have this platform from Scottish Rugby to apply the things I learn along the way.”

He added: “I got really passionate about business sustainability and how, over the coming years as a society, we are going to transition to a low-carbon economy. This will lead to legal, social and political changes that sport will have to understand and navigate”

“What I found is the power that sport has to unite and inspire through the millions of fans that are involved and the emotional connection that teams have, with the aim of creating behavioural changes that are needed to achieve climate targets.”

Scottish Rugby Chief Executive, Mark Dodson, said: “Jamie has never shied away from a challenge on the pitch since he made his debut for Scotland 7s in 2015.

“Whether with his peers, in clubs throughout Scotland, or in conversations in boardrooms, his role will be to help highlight to the rugby community our commitment to support work to tackle the climate emergency.

“ESG – Environment, Society and Governance – matters not just to us as a governing body. Our employees, volunteers and the many stakeholders in the game often talk about the legacy that they can leave for future generations.”

Scottish Rugby has been undertaking a number of initiatives to place the environment at the heart of its operations.

For the last 11 years it has followed a policy which aims that no waste from BT Murrayfield goes to landfill, with dry mixed waste recycled at a plant in West Lothian. The remainder, general waste, is sent to be burnt and converted into fuel to power electricity plants or cement plants.

All glass is recycled, and all food waste and grass cuttings are composted.

It will now create a sustainability plan to be active by the autumn of 2023 which will list key targets. The progress towards these targets will be transparent and featured in both the Scottish Rugby Annual Report and on its website.

The plan will list greenhouse gas emissions and feature concrete goals on our net-zero targets.

Image [World Rugby]: Jamie Farndale speaking at Global Sports Week in Paris in May 2022