Sustainability
Doing Our Bit
Dublin Marathon Group is committed to reducing the environmental impact of our events and continually improving how they are planned and delivered.
Across the Irish Life Dublin Marathon, Irish Life Dublin Race Series and Dublin City Council Dublin Half Marathon, we are taking practical steps to reduce single-use materials and waste, increase reuse and recycling, make more responsible choices around event products, and ensure surplus materials have a second life wherever possible.
Sustainability in Action
Reducing Single-Use Plastic
We have significantly reduced the number of single-use plastic bottles required across our events.
At the Irish Life Dublin Marathon, seven bottle stations have been replaced with cup stations, removing the need for more than 150,000 single-use plastic bottles.
The Irish Life Dublin Race Series and Dublin City Council Dublin Half Marathon operate cup-only water stations, removing the need for a further 75,000 plastic bottles.
Together, these changes have removed the need for more than 225,000 single-use plastic bottles across our events.
Lucozade Sport also uses fully compostable cups at the Irish Life Dublin Marathon as part of its work to support more sustainable mass-participation sporting events.
Reducing Paper and Unnecessary Materials
Moving participant race instructions and registration information from print to digital has resulted in a reduction of more than four tonnes of paper.
We also reduce unnecessary printing of race numbers by taking expected participant drop-off into account when determining print quantities.
Across the Irish Life Dublin Race Series, goodie bags are biodegradable, recyclable and reusable, and paper inserts are not accepted.
More Sustainable Race Products
We are making more sustainable choices in the products and materials used across our events.
Our race T-shirts are made from 100% recycled polyester fabric with Global Recycled Standard certification, with surplus T-shirts redistributed to charities.
Our race medals are manufactured using recycled waste metal, repurposing material that would otherwise go to waste. Unused medals can also be returned to the manufacturer for recycling.
Event branding materials, including banners and scrim, are collected following events and retained for reuse wherever possible.
Reuse and Redistribution
Where usable products and materials remain after our events, we work to keep them in circulation rather than allowing them to become waste.
Clothing discarded by runners at the start is collected for charitable reuse, while unused bottled water is redistributed to local running clubs for use at their events.
Surplus goodie bags following the Irish Life Dublin Marathon are provided to the Simon Community, while leftover race T-shirts are also distributed to charities.
Race-Day Waste Management
Professional waste management and recycling infrastructure is integrated into our events.
Colour-coded collection points allow waste to be separated into streams including paper, cardboard, plastics and organic material for composting, helping to increase recycling and divert material from landfill.
We continue to work with our waste management partners to improve collection and recovery of recyclable materials across our events.
Event Operations
Sustainability considerations also extend to how our events are delivered behind the scenes.
Event infrastructure and equipment are continually reviewed to identify opportunities to reduce environmental impact. Generators used across our events are fitted with Exhaust Gas Recirculation or Diesel Particulate Filters, depending on generator size, to help reduce harmful exhaust emissions.
We will continue to explore opportunities to improve energy efficiency and reduce the environmental impact associated with event operations.
Event Participant Travel
We operate a free shuttle bus service for runners in our race series events. Participants use public transport to a local transport hub and are collected by bus and transported to the race start area.
Bike Park
We introduced a free bike park to encourage participants to use their bikes to get to the start of our race series events. The bike park provides a secure location where participants can safely leave their bicycles during the events.
Inclusive Events
Our approach to sustainability extends beyond environmental impact to creating events that are welcoming and inclusive. A Non-Binary category was introduced across our events in 2023, and we continue to work towards a more balanced gender split in participation across our events.
Our Impact at a Glance
225,000+
single-use plastic bottles removed across our events
4+ tonnes
of paper removed through digital participant communications and registration
100% recycled polyester
used in our race T-shirts, with Global Recycled Standard certification
Recycled waste metal
used in race medal production
Cup-only water stations
across the Irish Life Dublin Race Series and Dublin City Council Dublin Half Marathon
Reuse and redistribution
of clothing, T-shirts, bottled water, goodie bags and event branding
Continuing to Improve
Sustainability is an ongoing commitment for Dublin Marathon Group.
We recognise that delivering large-scale mass-participation events has an environmental impact, and our focus is on continuing to understand and reduce that impact.
Building on the measures already in place, we will continue to improve how we measure, manage and report our environmental and social impact, while working with our participants, partners, suppliers and wider running community to identify further opportunities for positive change.
