International Women’s Day 2022 – The female Olympians leading the charge for sustainability

When the spotlight fell on the leaders of the world at the COP26 summit in Glasgow, Scotland, last year Mills seized the moment.

With the help of the IOC and fellow Olympian Melissa Wilson, she gathered more than 50 high-profile Olympians and Paralympians to lend their voices in support on climate action.

From Kenyan marathon star Eliud Kipchoge to British tennis ace Andy Murray no sporting star’s power was spared.

They called COP26 – considered to be one of the most important climate change conferences ever held given the global state of affairs as they stand – the “Olympics of climate summits,” and urged world leaders to deliver as they had done when expected at the Tokyo Games.

Even before COP26 Mills has had targeting plastic on her agenda.

Back in 2019, the two-time Olympic champion launched the Big Plastic Pledge, which aims to eliminate single-use plastic entirely from sport. From using refillable water bottles to refusing plastic packaging, the campaign promotes all ways to help end our dependency on the material.

A year later she and Norwegian rower Martin Helseth were chosen as European Climate Pact Ambassadors to help inform, inspire, and support climate action within the sporting community.

She told the IOC at the time:

“I believe it’s every person’s responsibility to do what they can to help address climate change, because this global problem affects each and every one of us.

“Sport has a huge role to play. There are many reasons for this, including the reach of global sporting events and the fact that sport is an ‘innovator’, always pushing boundaries. If we can use its power to help more people understand climate change and the available solutions to address it, then we can really make a difference.”