Welcome back fellow readers to the last lap of the week! Throughout the previous two posts, we have explored the tumultuous evolution of Formula 1 (F1) and Formula E due to their prominence in the Sport industry. However, apart from these motor-racing giants, are the other influential players in the industry doing their part in reducing the environmental footprint?
Play Ball!
Football – also known as soccer – is undoubtedly one of the most lucrative sport in the industry, with just the top 20 teams boasting an operating revenue of €9.3 billion (US$11 billion) in 2019! It’s ever-surging popularity is especially apparent in England, as evident from a report produced by Dosumu et al. (2017) which estimated that over 60 million spectators watched football within the country in 2012. This comes as no surprise as England is home to some of the world’s most renowned football leagues, such as the Premier League and English Football League (EFL). That being said, similar to that of F1 and Formula E, it ranks high on the emissions list – of which spectator transport makes up the bulk of the emissions.
To better illustrate the potency of its carbon footprints, let’s travel to England for a football match!
A study conducted by Dosumu et al. (2017) involving 1,649 spectators from 47 football clubs revealed that private transportation was the main mode of transport to the competition sites at 67.50%. Travel by car was estimated to emit 0.19kgCO2/person/km, a significant amount as compared to 0.06kgCO2/person/km if a spectator had taken the train instead.
In an attempt to tackle these emissions, the Football League commenced an initiative with Liftshare – a ride sharing company – whereby fans could post details of their match day travel and offer their spare car seats to other fans (Dosumu et al., 2017). Outside of England, the US National Football League has encouraged the use of electric cars by providing spectators with charging stations, while some teams offset the emissions produced by transportation through tree planting initiatives.
Although there are insufficient reports to attest to the effectiveness of these programmes, it is indeed heartening to see football clubs taking concrete steps to mitigate the bulk of GHG emissions.
Have Your Hot-dog and Eat It Too
Enough about travel, let’s talk about our experience in the stadiums 😀 Food and beverages sold during the matches make up the cherry on top of a perfect spectating experience. However, we often fail to consider the environmental implications brought about by these seemingly harmless (and delicious) products.
Unfinished and unsold food during matches are usually disposed of in the landfills, and it has been estimated that the Super Bowl – one of the largest sporting events in the US – generates 40 tons of food and packaging waste annually (Wooster, 2020). The decomposition of food waste in the landfills produces GHG such as CO2and methane (CH4), as well as leachates which could contaminate groundwater if they were not contained and treated (Tonini et al., 2018).
To address the pertinent issue, circular recycling efforts were piloted during the 2015 Super Bowl in Phoenix, through which the organizers were successful in diverting 90% of waste from landfills (Wooster, 2020). Additionally, the initiative gained momentum during the 2018 games, and 91% of food and packaging waste were either recycled, reused, or composted (Wooster, 2020).
It is apparent that influential players in the sports industry are taking comprehensive strides to mitigate the diverse sources of pollution. Moving beyond the initiatives introduced by the organisations, collaborative efforts are also quintessential in ensuring the sustainability of the events. And that’s where you come in!
Sports Fans Unite!
As consumers of the sporting industry, we are conferred with the ability to make prudent choices so as to reduce our environmental footprints, but how so? Well, here are some tips from us to you!
As always, we would love to hear from you 😀 so do comment some of your useful tips for waste reduction at sporting events!
Till next time! 😀
References:
Dosumu, A., Colbeck, I., & Bragg, R. (2017). Greenhouse gas emissions as a result of spectators travelling to football in England. Scientific Reports (Nature Publisher Group). 7, 1-7. Available from: doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-06141-y
Tonini, D., Albizzati, P. F., & Astrup, T, F. (2018). Environmental impacts of food waste: Learnings and challenges from a case study in UK. Waste Management. 76(2018), 744-766. Available from: doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2018.03.032
Wooster, J. (2020). Rethinking waste management systems at large-scale sporting events. Environment + Energy Leader. Available from: https://www.environmentalleader.com/2020/02/rethinking-waste-management-systems-at-large-scale-sporting-events/ [Accessed 5 September 2020]
Images:
Dosumu, A., Colbeck, I., & Bragg, R. (2017). Greenhouse gas emissions as a result of spectators travelling to football in England. Scientific Reports (Nature Publisher Group). 7, 1-7. Available from: doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-06141-y