From Landfill to Courtside: cinch Championships Ace Sustainability with Upcycled Water Bottle Holders

The cinch Championships a prestigious annual men’s tennis tournament held at The Queen’s Club, brings together the world’s best players for a showcase of top-tier talent. But behind the scenes of the world-class tennis lies a lesser-known challenge: what to do with the previous year’s event materials.

Branding, signage, and graphics which are all essential to the tournament’s visual identity, often face a one-way ticket to recycling or worse, landfill. Even for events committed to sustainability, traditional disposal methods carry an environmental cost. Recycling can be energy intensive and too often reusable materials lose their value prematurely.

Faced with this challenge, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), in partnership with CSM Live, turned to Event Cycle to find a better way. Together they explored how to repurpose leftover branding from the 2023 Championships into something genuinely useful for the 2024 event.

The result: bespoke water bottle holders for the ball crew, crafted from last year’s cinch branded fabric. But that was only the beginning. To complete each 2,888 cm² holder, the team sourced additional repurposed materials including mesh from a Birmingham sporting event, thermal lining from local medicine packaging, and surplus fabric from exhibitions across the UK. Even the labels were made from offcuts.

Each holder was handmade by women employed through social enterprise Calluna Upcycling, who specialise in repurposing event fabrics into new products. The initiative not only diverted materials from landfill but also saved approximately 1.35 kg of CO₂ emissions and preserved 3,870 litres of water per holder by avoiding virgin material production.

With 10% of Calluna’s proceeds supporting Severn Hospice, the project generated both environmental and social value. And by integrating reuse into the planning process, the LTA and CSM Live showed how sustainability can be woven into every stage of event delivery, not bolted on at the end.

Communications

Event Cycle worked with the LTA and CSM Live to make sure the communications around the repurposed bottle were accurate and informative, with an option to find out more through a QR code on the plinth. As well as highlighting the progress they have made, the LTA also noted the limitations they currently face, displaying a transparent and honest approach to their sustainability journey.

By choosing to partner with Event Cycle, event organisers can embrace eco-friendly practices, support social enterprises, and make a positive impact on the environment, turning old materials into new opportunities. Join us in promoting a circular economy and a greener, more sustainable future for the live events industry. #EventCycleIt