County FA sets gold standard for sustainable football events.
As part of their on-going sustainability commitments, Birmingham County FA and their Save Today Play Tomorrow programme have been working to verify all 14 of their prestigious County Cup Finals for the 2022/23 season as Carbon Neutral events in accordance with PAS 2060:2014.
Through the support of the operational teams at Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and Walsall FC, BCFA has reported and measured Scopes 1, 2 and 3 emissions from the County Cup Finals. Working with sustainability partner Planet Mark, an internationally recognised sustainability certification, BCFA have now achieved a third-party verified carbon neutral certification for the events.
Over the course of the 14 finals held during the Spring, 106.1 tonnes of CO2e have been measured. Unsurprisingly, 105.5 tco2e (99.4%) are categorised as scope 3 emissions, which means that the majority of the emissions are indirectly produced by activities within the event’s value chain (e.g., from the procurement of goods and services, and the travel of players, staff & spectators).
BCFA has purchased carbon offsets to mitigate the emissions produced from the 14 County Cup Finals, and the evidence shared with Planet Mark so that they are able to formerly certify these events as Carbon Neutral in accordance with PAS 2060:2014.
Richard Lindsay, Sustainability & Insights Manager for BCFA said, “We recognise that off-setting emissions is not the silver bullet to the climate emergency we are all faced with, but what this project has allowed us to do is better understand the footprint of our large events, and this benchmark provides us with the platform to confidently implement strategies that reduce emissions year on year without compromising on the standard or expectations of those who are part of these fantastic finals.”
Steve Malkin, Founder & CEO of Planet Mark said, “Planet Mark is delighted to be working with BCFA. We are very pleased that they have achieved Business Certification and are working toward a Carbon Neutral Certification for the County Cup Finals. Their commitment to making their organisation and events more sustainable is testament to their desire to contribute to a more sustainable planet. BCFA is a fantastic example of sustainability in their industry, and I look forward to working with them on other exciting projects in the future.”
You can find the full report of the Carbon Neutral Cup Finals, and more information on Save Today, Play Tomorrow at birminghamfa.com.
