Client Success Story
How the 2025 Canada Games Put Sustainability into Action
When the 2025 Canada Games set out to make sustainability a central part of their event, they looked for meaningful ways to reduce waste, engage communities, and inspire everyday action.
Partnering with Fill it Forward, the Canada Games turned their sustainability promise into a visible, measurable program—empowering athletes, volunteers, and fans to reduce single-use plastics, track their impact, and give back to the community.
Sustainability at the Heart of the Games
In keeping with their commitment to act as stewards for future generations, the Canada Games made waste reduction a core focus across every aspect of the event—from planning and procurement to on-site activations.
To help engage their network across Canada, they were looking for solutions that combined education, technology, and community engagement to inspire lasting change. Early in the process, they identified Fill it Forward as a partner uniquely positioned to help achieve these goals by promoting reuse through a gamified app experience.
Educating Communities Across Canada
Long before the Games began, sustainability messaging spread nationwide through the Torch Relay and school engagement program, where Fill it Forward joined the movement and was used to raise awareness about the importance of reuse.
Over 25,000 Fill it Forward Stickers were distributed through community visits, schools, and promotional events leading up to the Games—each one serving as a reminder that small acts of sustainability can create measurable impact.
Engaging Athletes, Fans, and Volunteers
During the Games, the program came to life through sustainability kiosks at key venues and the distribution of Fill it Forward stickers to all athletes, volunteers, and spectators.
These QR-coded stickers linked directly to the Fill it Forward app, where every scan represented a reduction in single-use waste, and also unlocked a charitable donation to organizations focused on clean water and food security.
The reuse experience was supported by water stations throughout the venues and bilingual signage posted nearby, ensuring accessibility and inclusivity for all participants.
Turning Reuse into Friendly Competition
To make sustainability fun and interactive, the Games launched the “Green Cup Challenge” and promoted friendly competition within the app.
Each province and territory competed to see who could record the most reuses, transforming reuse into a team effort that captured both the excitement of sport and the spirit of sustainability. Every scan contributed to real-world impact—reducing plastic waste—and participants could watch their province or territory climb the leaderboard.
Tracking Real Impact with Reuse365
Behind the scenes, Fill it Forward’s Reuse365 platform tracked the collective progress in real time. Together, participants helped divert 59,545 single-use items—that’s 1,800 lbs of waste and prevented 357.3 lbs of ocean pollution—proving that small daily choices can lead to measurable environmental results.
“Fill it Forward provided us a uniquely valuable opportunity to activate environmental stewardship at a national multi-sport event. From broad objectives like awareness of and engagement with sustainability, to more specific objectives such as plastic reduction rates; Fill it Forward played a key role in delivering an environmentally conscious event.”
Isaac Owens-Frank,
Coordinator of Sustainability at Canada Games
A Legacy of Sustainable Action
For the 2025 Canada Games, sustainability wasn’t a side initiative—it was a defining feature of the event’s identity. By empowering participants to reuse, refill, and give back, the Games demonstrated that collective impact starts with individual choices.
From students and athletes to volunteers and fans, every reuse represented a commitment to protecting the planet and supporting communities in need. Together, they proved that small acts of sustainability can lead to meaningful environmental change.
As a Canadian company, Fill it Forward is proud to support such inspirational initiatives that demonstrate how national events can model environmental stewardship and community engagement for the next generation.
Bring Sustainability to Your Next Event
Want to make sustainability the highlight of your next event?
Learn how Fill it Forward helps organizations reduce single-use waste, engage participants, and measure real-time impact through reuse.
Explore our launch guide or connect with us to learn more.
