Katarina Johnson-Thompson Goes Green in Sustainable Fashion Shoot for QIPCO British Champions Day

Team GB heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson recently ditched her regular athletic attire to take part in a sustainable fashion shoot at Ascot Racecourse in her role as Ambassador for QIPCO British Champion Series.

Fresh from competing at the Brussels IAAF Diamond League, where she achieved third place in the long jump, Katarina took to the racetrack to help showcase environmentally friendly fashion ahead of the finale to the Flat racing season – QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday 19^th October, where she will be in attendance.

The heptathlete, who has a love of fashion and has previously walked at Paris Fashion Week, wore only brands that are implementing sustainability practises, including Isabell Fox, Amur, Beulah London, Reformation and Lock & Co, proving that fashion can be both glamorous and green.

As the Ultimate Raceday, QIPCO British Champions Day will see the return of the game-changing operation, “Re-Cup,” which ensures as many plastic cups are washed and re-used as possible.

The initiative was first introduced at this year’s Royal Ascot, where some 350 dedicated staff helped to collect, wash and re-use 638,702 plastic glasses, an impressive 27% increase on their target of 500,000.

Despite her busy training schedule for the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Doha, the Team GB athlete and Ambassador for QIPCO British Champions Series is keen to do her bit for the environment.

“There are plenty of ways that people can help the planet and it’s important that every one of us contributes, even if that means making small changes to begin with. Choosing ethical fashion is a great way to start introducing sustainability into everyday life,” Katarina said.

“QIPCO British Champions Day is already such a wonderful day but the fact that sustainability is playing such an important role on the day at Ascot Racecourse makes it an even greater event in my eyes.”

Racegoers will be asked to place their used glasses into over 200 dedicated bins around site or return them to the bars to assist the Re-Cup programme. Ascot’s Official Water, Harrogate Spring Water, will also be available for thirsty racegoers and is bottled in PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic. Dedicated PET plastic bottle bins will be clearly marked on site, and all PET bottles collected at Ascot will be recycled and used to produce new bottles in a closed loop recycling system.