Arsenal's success was based on involving all stakeholders in its environmental programme
Through effective employee engagement, awareness raising and management there was a dramatic increase in recycling rates
Re-evaluating procedures and upgrading hardware is paramount – not least due to constant technological advances in the field of energy-saving – but in most cases, significant cost savings and notable environmental benefits can be achieved without large-scale investments or infrastructural changes. One of the ways to ensure success is advocacy and the involvement of all stakeholders and staff.
GREAT EXAMPLES A great example of this is English Premier League club Arsenal FC, which achieved great results by concentrating on one single aspect of its operations – waste. By the end of the 2011-12 season, events waste at the club’s Emirates Stadium in north London was approximately eight tonnes per day – of which only around 25 per cent was recycled. The club set itself a target of recycling 50 per cent of its refuse, while making savings in its waste handling operations. The club involved a number of
stakeholders in the process, including catering, cleaning and waste contractors. Following consultations, it was decided that separating organic waste would have the greatest impact and a number of simple yet effective steps were taken to achieve it. Food waste bins were put into all the kitchens throughout the 60,000-capacity stadium’s concourses
sportsmanagement.co.uk issue 4 2014 © Cybertrek 2014
and all catering and cleaning staff were instructed regarding the new system. To encourage participation, the club enrolled the help of the Arsenal In The Community department to spread the word about what was required of those delivering and handling the waste. Through effective employee engagement, raising awareness and management there was a dramatic increase in recycling rates. By the end of the 2012-13 season the club was recycling a remarkable 78 per cent of its total waste – surpassing all expectations and targets. There was also a notable reduction in waste removal and processing costs. Another example of gaining results
through advocacy is the success of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the US. Since 2010, the league has coordinated and focused all environmental efforts by its 30 clubs under one umbrella. The impressive results achieved in the past four years were revealed in the recent 2014 NHL Sustainability Report – the first document of its kind produced by a major sports league in North America. A marquee figure of the report – and
in all likelihood a sporting first – is the disclosure of the league’s overall, collective carbon footprint. This takes into account league and club business activities and travel for 182 game days, 1,230 regular- season games, more than 60 play-off
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