European Commission: EMAS contribution towards higher sustainability in football – FC Porto’s road to EMAS registration
FC Porto is the first sports club in Portugal and Europe to achieve EMAS certification, making an important contribution to sustainability.
With the European Football Championship 2024 to kick-off on 14th June in Germany and the Olympic Games official inauguration on the 26th July in Paris, the role of sports in achieving sustainability and preserving the planet is more than crucial.
The ambitions of the European Green Deal, including carbon neutrality by 2050, can only be reached if all parts of society are actively involved in tackling the challenges head on. Sport is no exception.
While it is estimated that the global football industry produces more than 30 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, primarily due to travel, stadium construction, and waste, there are tools and schemes, such as the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme, that can help football clubs and other stakeholders in the sector to systematically analyze and reduce their direct and indirect environmental impacts and set up measures to reduce them.
What Can a Football Club Do to Be More Sustainable?
The role Football Clubs can play is twofold. On the one hand, clubs can start an analysis of their most significant environmental impacts from water, waste consumption, biodiversity impacts and also different pollutant emissions. The Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) is a step-by-step method which helps any organization, including football clubs, to better understand and identify their overall environmental impacts and establish systematic programmes to reduce them.
On the other hand, football clubs have a significant role in promoting sustainability, given their large fan bases and wide audience. Through the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) requirement to develop a publicly available Environmental Statement summarizing their strategy to reduce their identified impacts, EMAS is also a useful tool to communicate with organizations stakeholders and achieve transparency. Thus, Football clubs can set standards and improve awareness of environmental challenges and achievements.
FC Porto’s Commitment to Sustainability through EMAS registration
FC Porto has undergone this process and managed to secure its EMAS certification on March 11th, 2024, making it the first sports organization in Portugal and Europe to receive the EU EMAS label.
To achieve EMAS certification, FC Porto began an environmental audit to assess their current impact. They developed and adopted a robust environmental policy and program, introduced and implemented an environmental management system, prepared an environmental statement, and finally secured verification by an independent accredited EMAS verifier. Porto Estádio, responsible for the management and operation of the Porto stadium, has already finalized its EMAS registration process.
The FREE KICKS Project
FC Porto has benefited from the support of the FREE KICKS project, co-funded by the European Union to promote circular economy and environmental sustainability in soccer organizations.
The FREE KICKS project supports football’s transition towards the goals of the Green Deal and the New Circular Economy Action Plan by promoting leading-edge environmental management practices among national football associations and professional clubs. The project focuses on assessing sustainability needs, improving environmental governance, and calculating environmental footprints using the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) or Organization Environmental Footprint (OEF) standards. With support from Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (SSSA), each partner organization participating in the project, namely Fundación Real Betis Balompie, Malmö FF, Racing Club, Romanian Football Federation, European Club Association (ECA) and Sport Positive, will define its own Environmental Improvement Plan.
The Romanian Club is expected to register for EMAS in September. Two other clubs, Real Betis and Malmö, are currently in the initial stages of cooperation. Following the Romanian association, it is expected that Real Betis, a club from Seville that plays in the Spanish league, will also be able to register for EMAS. We are looking forward to it!
What Makes This Achievement Significant?
FC Porto, a top Liga Portugal Betclic club, has significant influence on fans and other clubs. As the first sports organization in Portugal and Europe to obtain EMAS certification, they set a powerful example. Globally, only 23 of over 4,000 EMAS-certified organizations in the EU are in sports, making FC Porto, a pioneer in the sector.
The benefits of EMAS certification entail more efficient resource management, cost savings, and stronger community relationships. This certification also aligns with the city of Porto’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2030.
Filipe Araújo, vice-president of the Porto Chamber, emphasized that this certification not only highlights the excellent work FC Porto has done in sustainability but also inspires others to understand and emulate their efforts.
* Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them
