Josephine Gunilla Sofia Traberg

• Strittmatter, Anna-Maria; Horbel, Chris; Traberg, Josephine; Strömberg, Julius Zackarias; Bodemar, Gun Annika Viola & Grønkjær, Allan B. [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2024). Prioritization of the Sustainable Development Goals in the sustainability transition process of sport organizations: national strategies and sport managers’ perspectives. German Journal of Exercise and Sport Research. ISSN 2509-3142. 55, p. 94–103. doi: 10.1007/s12662-024-00985-z. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study explores the relevance, and applicability, of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in relation to Norwegian sport organizations’ sustainability transition. The following research questions guided the study: (1) How do National Sport Governing Bodies (NGBs) strategically address and prioritize SDGs and why? (2) How does the strategic prioritization of SDGs align with sport managers’ perspectives? (3) What does their prioritization of SDGs imply about the progress of sustainability transition within the Norwegian sports sector? The qualitative study is based on three interviews with directors in NGBs, document analysis of 11 strategy documents by six NGBs’ and essays produced by 82 sport managers representing the respective NGBs. Data analysis was informed by neo-institutional theory and the waves of sustainability transition framework. In our sample, spanning a diverse range of sports, we observed that 10 different SDGs are seen as relevant for NGBs from a strategy perspective, while sport managers prioritized eight. There is a strong alignment between national strategies and sport managers’ perspectives which is explainable through coercive, mimetic and normative pressures within the organizational field of sports. This further demonstrates that SDG prioritization is linked to the sport political context. While the alignment of prioritization from different perspectives provides a solid foundation for advancing sustainability work, the missing link between the SDGs and organizational goals with concrete suggestions for measures witnesses that Norwegian sport organizations are still in the infancy of sustainable transition.

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• Traberg, Josephine; Orr, Madeleine & Horbel, Chris (2025). What will a greenwashing ban entail for the sport industry? Managing Sport and Leisure. ISSN 2375-0472. doi: 10.1080/23750472.2025.2482222. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Greenwashing is a widespread phenomenon in many industries, including in sport. Legal repercussions of greenwashing are intensifying, however, as evidenced by the European Union (EU) Directive on Green Claims passed in January 2024. The Green Claims Directive (hereafter, The Directive) aims to curb misleading environmental claims and better regulate sustainability certification and product labeling. This commentary explores the anticipated impacts of The Directive on the sports industry, with a particular focus on marketing and communication practices. In response to The Directive, sports organizations in the EU will need to adjust their marketing and communication strategies. This adjustment can improve transparency, yet organizations may resort to developing new terminology, potentially perpetuating greenwashing in alternative forms and challenging the integrity of sport communication. It is not sufficient for organizations to only alter communication practices, as environmental practices must permeate all organizational practices, with metrics and reporting to validate claims and ensure alignment between communication and action. A research agenda across five areas is proposed to address organizational transitions needed for ethical environmental action and communication, to enhance sport’s opportunity to drive climate action.

• Charway, Derrick & Traberg, Josephine (2024). Successful attempt to develop understanding of the various aspects of sport development. idrottsforum.org/artiklar. doi: https:/idrottsforum.org/chader_sherryetal241127/. Full text in Research Archive

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