Cricket, Climate and Circularity

13^th July 2026
4.30pm – 9.00pm
Kia Oval
London SE11 5SS

The event is part of 3rd Surrey County Cricket Club’s Sustainabili-T20 programme of activities

Co-organised by: The Centre for Sustainable Design® at UCA & Surrey County Cricket Club
Supported by: Surrey Cricket Foundation, Professional Cricketers’ Association, University of Cambridge, Lacuna Sports, Decathlon, Spencer ONE and Next Test

Introduction
As the world’s second-largest sport, with an estimated 300,000 regular adult participants in cricket (Source: ECB 2023) and an overall total of 2 million recreational, school, youth, and club-affiliated cricketers in England and Wales alone, cricket generates significant environmental impacts through the production and consumption of gear and clothing, yet this area remains under-researched. Since 2021, The Centre for Sustainable Design® (CfSD) at UCA has led pioneering research on circularity in cricket gear and apparel through the Platform for Accelerating Sustainability in Cricket (PASIC), identifying substantial volumes of underutilised gear that could be reused to support participation while advancing circular design strategies across the industry.

This event, part of the Circular Cultures in Wandsworth (2C) Project organised in partnership with Wandsworth Borough Council, will bring together cricket organisations, community stakeholders, sustainability practitioners and researchers to explore how circular approaches can reduce environmental impacts while improving accessibility, inclusion, and participation in cricket. The event will also present the final findings of the 2C project, which focused on extending the life of cricket equipment through local reuse and repair systems.

The programme will feature presentations, case studies, and discussions exploring the impact of climate change and circular economy on cricket alongside the environmental and social impacts of cricket equipment and clothing; findings from the 2C project; circular design strategies for extending product lifespans; the role of cricket organisations in improving access to affordable equipment; innovations in sustainable materials and manufacturing; opportunities and challenges in women’s cricket apparel; industry perspectives on climate action; and practical examples of community-based reuse and repair initiatives.

Audience
This event will be of interest to those engaged in sustainability, climate change, circular economy and cricket and other sports. This will include recreational and professional cricket players, club chairs, head of sport at schools, directors of academies, cricket administrators and researchers.

Programme
Chaired: Professor Martin Charter, Director, The Centre for Sustainable Design ® at UCA

• 4.30-5.15    Registration & networking
• 5.15-5.25    Welcome
  Emily Iveson-Pritchard, Head of Sustainability, Surrey County Cricket Club
  Professor Martin Charter, Director, The Centre for Sustainable Design ® at UCA

Big Picture: Climate, Circularity, Social Equity and Design

• 5.25-5.40    Climate Change
  James Cameron, Non-Executive Chair at The Professional Cricketer’s Association (PCA), global expert on climate change, green finance, barrister, and entrepreneur
• 5.40-5.55    Social Equity: India and UK
  Shubham Jain, Researcher, University of Cambridge, and Centre for Sport & Human Rights
  Representative from Next Test
• 5.55-6.10    Designing for Circularity: Cricket Gear and Clothing
  Dr Lilian Sanchez-Moreno, Postdoctoral Researcher – Circular Economy, The Centre for Sustainable Design® at UCA
• 6.10-6.15    Cricket: Climate Change Action Plan
  Representative from Next Test
• 6.15-6.40    Panel Discussion
• 6.40-7.05    Break & Networking

Case studies: Sustainability, Bamboo Bats, Reuse and Start-ups

• 7.05-7.15    Surrey County Cricket: Sustainability Journey
  Emily Iveson-Pritchard, Head of Sustainability, Surrey County Cricket Club
• 7.15-7.25    Camboom Project: Case Study on Bamboo Cricket Bat Development
  Dr Darshil Shah, Co-Leader, Centre for Natural Material Innovation (CNMI), University of Cambridge
• 7.25-7.35    Circular Cricket Gear (CCG) Hub
  Jamie Greig, Managing Director, Spencer Cricket Club
• 7.35-7.45    Developing a Women’s Cricket Clothing Brand and the Challenges of Integrating Circularity
  Leigh Burns, Founder & CEO, Lacuna Sports
• 7.45-8.15    Panel Discussion
• 8.15-8.20    Concluding Remarks
  Professor Martin Charter
• 8.20-9.00    Drinks and Networking

Registration
The event is free of charge, but you need to register via rcarruthers@uca.ac.uk by sending your Name, Surname, Job Title, and Organisation. On receipt, you will be sent confirmation and directions to the venue.

Further information
Ros Carruthers
The Centre for Sustainable Design ®
Research & Innovation
UCA
+44 (0) 1252 892772

Funding
The event is part of 2C project, funded by UKRI via University for the Creative Arts, AHRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA)