With its “Sport Planète” (Sport Planet) initiative, French ICMIF member MAIF says it is taking part in the development of a virtuous circle of actions around three priority areas: helping sports organisations pilot their eco-responsibility; favouring the training of professionals from the sports world on the appropriation of good practices; and raising awareness among the general public through projects led by inspiring eco-adventurers. MAIF is also planning “Sport Planète” get-togethers across all of France so that anyone, to some degree, can take part if they wish.
With MAIF, responsible sport for a winning planet!
The search for best practices, kindness and respect for others and for the world are at the heart of the raison d’être of MAIF, which became a “company with a mission” (société à mission) in 2020. A long-standing partner of French sport, the mutual insurance company has affirmed its desire to support all practitioners in learning and exercising their civic responsibility. In addition to raising awareness on sustainability issues and supporting federations in the field, MAIF says it wants to act as an initiator and facilitator in order to create synergies between sports federations and its other partners which are key players in terms of eco-responsibility. This has proved to be a successful approach since 2019, with some of the first results seen during major sporting events, including: the elimination of plastic water bottles and disposable cups, bulk supplies, the installation of dry toilets and the use of recycled equipment. More recently, via a partnership with the OXY platform, MAIF has championed a digital tool for measuring the environmental and societal commitment of the organizers of sports activities and events to help them better manage their impact in terms of sustainable development.
Convinced that sport is a formidable force for raising awareness, MAIF is now deploying the MAIF “Sport Planète” initiative, a set of actions and resources available to the sports ecosystem throughout the year, making it possible to motivate as many people as possible and commit collectively to the preservation of the planet at the same time. The Sport Planète programme for 2021 aims to support, raise awareness and encourage different initiatives and new lifestyles to be adopted sustainably.
Dominique Mahé, Chairman of the MAIF Group said: “Fully aware of the challenges of our time, we believe that everyone can become an actor of change through sport and, beyond that, everyone can participate in the positive transformation of society. The MAIF Sport Planète system that we are launching today is based on the deep conviction that we can all act for the common good. With this programme, we want to federate and promote synergies around sport and its main players, via demonstrations, events, guides or even partnerships bringing together sport and eco-responsibility. This virtuous “marriage” constitutes a new way of life to be adopted in the long term for which, I am convinced, MAIF will fully play its role.”
