The match between Real Betis and Athletic Club de Bilbao and the actions carried out during the first LaLiga sustainability match saved a total of 911 tCO2e compared to a normal match.
Beyond the sporting result of LaLiga’s first sustainability match, it was important for the Forever Green program to raise awareness and mobilize the fans.
With this purpose in mind, and with the slogan ‘Don’t leave a footprint, leave a mark’, more than 15 actions were implemented around the match day, which sought to convey a message to fans about the fight against climate change, and to involve them in the project through specific activities.
Thanks to the mobility actions, more than 1,000 kilometers were recorded in the Ciclogreen app in trips made by sustainable means of transport, with 43% of these trips made by walking, almost 20% by public bus, more than 13% by bicycle, and 4.35% by electric scooter.
In addition, more than 2,000 uses of Acciona’s electric motorcycle code were downloaded, more than 100 Lime electric bicycle codes, more than 120 Voi scooter codes and the private bicycle and scooter parking next to the Benito Villamarín Stadium was launched.
On the field, the players of the green and white first team also participated in this day using a kit made in the peninsula from 100% recycled polyester, and together with the Athletic Club players, they avoided the use of plastic bottles, using reusable and personalized Forever Green aluminum bottles.
In terms of match waste, the provision of containers for the day of the match was improved and, together with local pipe supplier Reyes, a pilot initiative was carried out to collect pipe shells from fans in biodegradable cardboard bowls for subsequent reuse as fertilizer.
During the previous week, a campaign was carried out on social networks to raise awareness of the importance of taking care of the city’s green spaces, and on the occasion of the match, the Benito Villamarín Stadium unveiled more than 100 messages on its steps with tips on how to take care of the planet.
Volvo, the official car supplier of the Betis team, showed its hybrid car options, and Cruzcampo served sustainable beer, brewed in Andalusia in the first factory that brews beer with the power of the sun.
Another action was the presentation of Forever Green sneakers, made with recycled and sustainable materials by people with disabilities.
In terms of communication, the party for sustainability and its message against climate change became known in the city with the installation of a circuit of billboards, and with spaces on public buses.
With all this effort, the party achieved more than 110 publications in 73 media outlets in 12 countries such as the United Kingdom, China, USA or Mexico, in addition to a significant impact on social networks.
Consistent with all of the above, the Club measured the Carbon Footprint of the match, reaching a total of 3,373.75 tCO2e, of which 91% corresponds to the Footprint of the fans’ transportation, while the impact of the reduction measures implemented shows that thanks to the more than 15 actions carried out, it is estimated by technicians from the Ecoterrae consulting firm that 911 tCO2e have been saved compared to a conventional match.
In other words, an impact equivalent to that generated by the annual energy consumption of 70 households, or by the use of 500 private vehicles in a year, was avoided.
Small gestures that generate a great positive impact on people and the Planet.
Finally, and thanks to the fact that the match for sustainability had the promotional code FOREVERGREEN for the purchase of tickets, one euro from each sale will go to the planting of more than 500 trees to offset the Carbon Footprint of the match in a reforestation project in the autonomous community of Andalusia.
As a representation of this commitment, during the pre-match Rafael Gordillo, president of the Real Betis Balompié Foundation, planted a tree that will be replanted in one of Forever Green’s projects.
This meeting is expected to be the first of many in the fight against climate change, until together as a society we can ensure the sustainability of the planet and our environment for generations to come.
