Policy and Commitment
- The club published its sustainability strategy “LEBEnachhaltig!” to the website in 2021 https://fc.de/fc-info/club/ueber-den-fc/nachhaltigkeit/
- The club focuses on the Sustainable Development Goals, especially number 3 “Good Health and Wellbeing”, number 4 “Quality Education”, number 12 “Responsible Consumption and Production” and number 13 “Climate Action”.
- The club is guided by the Global Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations and partners with the German Agency for International Cooperation and the Development and Climate Alliance.
- FC Köln is a signatory of the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework.
- The club avoids and reduces CO2 as a strategic goal and compensated emissions with high value climate protection certificates in 2021 and 2022.
- Member of the initiative “ZNU goes Zero”
- One of the club’s main objectives is Climate action: Take immediate action to combat climate change and its effects. With the planned expansion of the training ground, the ecological compensation measures will go beyond what is required by law.
Clean/Renewable Energy
- Uses 100% renewable electricity through its partner RheinEnergie to power both the stadium and training facilities at Geißbockheim. This is also the case for the boarding school, where some of the academy players live.
- Green electricity has been implemented in the clubhouse.
Energy Efficiency
- Sustainable management system according to “ZNU Standard” which is applicable to all club sites; including the youth academy, the boarding school and all six fan shops.
- Use of LED lamps and the installation of motion detectors to help reduce electricity consumption thanks to the participation of ÖKOPROFIT.
- The club’s administration building is heated and cooled by a geothermal system (total value of 157,000 kWh/a).
- The boarding school operates an air heating pump in combination with solar thermal energy for hot water preparation.
Sustainable Transport
- Fans can use matchday tickets for public transport use four hours in advance of the game.
- The club incentivized bicycle use with more than 4,000 bike racks around the stadium.
- Around 50% of all fans are using the rail, bus or bicycle, that are incentivized in a sustainability transport strategy.
- The club has set out a sustainability target of converting its vehicle fleet to electric and hybrid cars. More than 50% of its fleet is already electric or hybrid.
- Cycle to work scheme in place, including e-bikes.
- All football teams of the club use bus and rail as a standard means of transportation to away games. In exceptional cases the first teams take the plane to travel to the game (e.g. European away games). Bus and train are used to return to Cologne by default with exceptions.
Single Use Plastic Reduction/Removal
- It is the club’s goal to reduce single use plastic across all club sites with a waste management system for the stadium and the Geißbockheim (administration and training facilities).
- Since 2019, all drinks at home games have been handed out in reusable cups. Fans are then able to collect their deposit (2 Euros) or opt to donate that to the FC Foundation.
- The club has issued reusable lunch boxes to all employees (like Tupperware) so that there is no longer any need to resort to the disposable foam containers from the canteen, for example.
- Membership cards will in future be made from recycled material, and the professional autograph cards will be printed on environmentally certified paper.
Waste Management
- Around 85% of waste is recycled. The rest is incinerated, and in that process, energy is generated and used again.
- The club’s waste management strategy applies to all club sites except for the stadium, which is owned and operated by a municipal subsidiary. The club is in close exchange with the subsidiary to reduce waste around the stadium and in-line with the stadium owner’s waste management strategy.
- The waste management strategy ensures waste is constantly reduced. Unavoidable waste is mainly recycled in cooperation with a landfill company.
- Separates recyclables in offices.
- Introduced a recyclable container system to reduce residual waste quantities and increase the amount of recyclable material. This has been implemented as a result of the club’s participation in ÖKOPROFIT
Water Efficiency
- The club has a water management system in operation, that tracks water requirements and appropriate water quality. A main goal is to reduce the total water demand and increase the percentage of reused water, especially for the training grounds.
- A water well directly at the Geißbockheim provides water for the grass pitches.
- Waterless urinals are used in the stadium and at the training grounds.
- Reduction of water flow rates in the shower areas.
- A rainwater cistern was installed at the club’s boarding school. The two water storage tanks have a total volume of 30,000 liters. Rainwater is used to operate the washing machines and all toilets in the boarding school. With a calculated demand of 1,424 liters per day, this results in savings of approximately 520,000 liters of drinking water per year.
Plant based/low carbon food
- Vegan or vegetarian food is not only offered in the stadium (both in concourse and hospitality areas), but also in the canteen (which is also a public restaurant) for staff/employees and guests every day.
- Vegan food is also offered at the training ground.
- Players are offered vegan food across all sites.
- More than 80% of all food and drinks offered in the stadium (both on the concourse and in all hospitality areas), as well as in all facilities, are locally sourced.
- All vegetables are produced by local farmers and are not bought in wholesale/retail.
- The club gets its meat products from a meat factory whose headquarters is only 4km away from the training ground.
- The beer comes from a local brewery in Cologne.
Biodiversity
- The Geißbockheim is located in the Cologne “Grüngürtel” with a rich biodiversity, that is fostered by the greenkeeping team.
- With projects, such as having two beehives next to the training ground, or partnerships with environmental organizations (e.g. NABU Germany) 1. FC Köln is aware of the biodiversity importance at its main location, but also along the value chain.
Education
- Workshops at the beehives are offered to young people and the FC Foundation will train sustainability ambassadors in 2023.
- Club staff are regularly educated in energy saving measures.
- Once a year, the club offers education on environmental sustainability to its players.
Communication and Engagement
- The club published its sustainability strategy “LEBEnachhaltig!” to the website in 2021 https://fc.de/fc-info/club/ueber-den-fc/nachhaltigkeit/
- Club philosophy outlines the desire to promote sustainability “We want to be a role model through active environmental protection inside and outside the club and also bring a social and ecological awareness into the club’s heart of all Cologneers”.
- The FC Foundation implements a range of projects with fans to support the SDGs, especially bound to the social sustainability aspects.
- To draw attention to the club’s sustainability efforts, the club declared the Bundesliga home game against Arminia Bielefeld in April 2022 as an “LEBEnachhaltig!” match day. The main sponsor REWE made way for the logo on the jersey.
- Uses media reach to sensitizes fans for environmental sustainability. Not just with news on the website, but by also inviting fans and staff to experience the importance of climate action.
Additional information
Information sourced directly from 1. FC Köln staff, website and third party websites
Information updated May 15 2023
