We are committed to taking active steps to promote environmental sustainability and our approach is built around three Sustainability Pillars.
The pillars reflect: Environmental, Social & Economic.By addressing all 3 pillars, organisations are more likely to have a positive impact on the world while still improving financial performance.
The science is clear: the world must reach net zero carbon emissions well before 2050, to avoid a climate change disaster.
However, a football club’s activities, including operations and travel, cause carbon emissions and therefore contribute to the problem.
We want to understand our carbon footprint, reduce it as much as possible and offset what we can’t reduce, to become a net zero football club. Research conducted by Rising Ballers, found that 72% of
Gen Z football fans care about the environment, with 61% believing football should be more eco-friendly. 40.2% of young football fans suspect waste production contributes to football’s high carbon footprint the most (32.5% transport, 18.1% stadiums, 9.2% food and drink).
Also, a football club’s activities, including operations and travel, cause carbon emissions and therefore contribute to the problem. We want to understand our carbon footprint, reduce it as much as possible and offset what we can’t reduce, to become a net zero football club.
There is also a new sponsorship opportunity for brands in football’s evolving eco-aware landscape: 54% of young football fans would consider purchasing from a more environmentally sustainable brand over a mainstream option.
Environmental
This will ensure environmental resources are preserved, maintained and not overexploited. This is what our staff and fans think of most when they think of ‘sustainability’. We will be making conscious decisions to avoid the degradation and depletion of environmental resources, to ensure ecosystems can recover.
Social
This will ensure we support healthier and fairer communities. We aim to ensure standards are being met in the production and supply of our products and merchandise. For producers and workers, having partners that ensure their workers’ rights, safer working conditions and fairer pay.
We are determined to support social sustainability. We will work to source produce, fabrics for our kits and merchandise clothing in an ethical way.
By working with our supply chain, we can support producers and workers to take more control of their financial futures. Furthermore, we can now offer our fans and consumers an ever-increasing variety of ethically sourced, independently certified choices, showing trade can be fairer, more sustainable and better for all involved.
Economic
We are seeking economic/financial sustainability with the aim for profitability. In the context of our club and our business, our aim is to the efficient use of assets to maintain the club’s profitability over time.