‘We are as green as possible’: environmental responsibility in commercial artificial settings for lifestyle sports

Abstract

Sport facilities such as snowdomes, white water courses and indoor skydive centres offer commercial, commodified activities that are derived from outdoor, adventurous lifestyle sports such as snowboarding, rafting and skydiving. The settings, in which natural elements are simulated through modern technology, are known for their large consumption of water and energy resources. It is intriguing that these settings have emerged in an era in which sustainability awareness and environmental responsibility are increasingly important in the sport industry. In this paper, sustainability awareness and environmental responsibility among entrepreneurs running these artificial settings for lifestyle sports are examined based on a qualitative study of four Dutch settings. By identifying the entrepreneurs' motives or drivers for greening their company, it becomes clear that these entrepreneurs combine altruistic and strategic drives, causing some tensions between and within these drivers. Our research reveals that costs savings, managerial and personal values and attitudes, gaining competitive advantages and improving market image and reputation are the most prominent drivers for greening the companies.