MCC teams up with ExpectAI on Lord's sustainability

Marylebone Cricket Club has agreed a collaboration with ExpectAI focused on sustainability across the supplier network linked to Lord's Cricket Ground.

MCC plans to use ExpectAI's Una platform to improve supplier information, track activity across its value chain and identify where Scope 3 emissions can be reduced.

Lord's, one of cricket's best-known venues, works with a wide range of suppliers and partners as it serves large numbers of visitors each year. At venues of that scale, indirect emissions tied to procurement, logistics, food and drink, waste and materials can make up a large share of total environmental impact.

The move forms part of MCC's wider sustainability strategy, which targets net zero emissions across Scopes 1 and 2 by 2030 and net zero across all scopes by 2040. The first stage of the collaboration will focus on supplier intelligence and Scope 3 emissions management.

Using the system, MCC aims to bring supplier information into one place and improve engagement with companies in its network. It also wants, where possible, to move from estimated emissions data to supplier-level data and monitor progress over time.

Supplier focus

Scope 3 emissions are often the hardest category for organisations to measure because they fall outside direct operations. They are shaped by decisions made across chains of contractors, service providers and producers rather than by the venue itself.

That challenge has become more prominent for sports organisations under pressure to show clearer evidence of environmental progress while continuing to manage large event operations. Better supplier data has become central to that effort, particularly where venues depend on outside firms for catering, transport, maintenance and other services.

Rob Lawson, chief executive and secretary of MCC, said: "Lord's has always sought to lead both on and off the field. Sustainability is a key part of our long-term vision, and we recognise that meaningful progress requires collaboration across our entire supplier network. This collaboration with ExpectAI will help us better understand our value chain, improve engagement with suppliers and identify practical opportunities to reduce emissions. It is an important step in supporting our ambition to make Lord's one of the world's most sustainable sporting venues."

ExpectAI said it would help connect fragmented information from across that supplier base and turn it into a clearer operational picture for the club. The company works with small and medium-sized businesses as well as larger organisations, including banks, payment networks and supply chains.

Shared network

Both organisations are members of the Sustainable Markets Initiative, a private-sector group focused on practical sustainability projects. Their work at Lord's reflects a shared interest in using better supplier-level information to address indirect emissions.

Anand Verma, founder and chief executive of ExpectAI, said the collaboration reflects a wider push for co-ordination across supply chains. "As a lifelong cricket fan, I have admired MCC for as long as I can remember, and Lord's has held a special place for me since I was a child. To now have ExpectAI supporting MCC's sustainability ambitions is something I am incredibly proud of. The next phase of sustainability will be driven by collaboration. No organisation operates in isolation, and Lord's sits at the centre of a complex ecosystem of suppliers, partners and stakeholders. Connecting that ecosystem through better data and shared intelligence creates a significant opportunity to accelerate measurable change. Una transforms fragmented data into actionable intelligence, helping organisations make better decisions, collaborate more effectively with their suppliers and move faster towards their sustainability goals. Together with MCC, we have an opportunity to demonstrate how artificial intelligence can turn sustainability ambition into measurable action and help establish Lord's as one of the world's most sustainable sporting venues."

MCC, founded in 1787, owns Lord's and is recognised as the sole authority on the Laws of cricket. The club has about 18,350 full members and 6,000 associate members.

The initial phase will focus on supplier intelligence and Scope 3 emissions management before any broader sustainability work across Lord's operations.