Policy and Commitment
- Forest Green Rovers Environmental Policy can be viewed on the club’s website: https://www.fgr.co.uk/policies
- A web page titled “Another Way” on the Forest Green Rovers website is dedicated to the sustainability initiatives of the club.
- Is a signatory to the UN’s Sports for Climate Action on the Race to Zero.
- Has now completed its third year as a signatory to their Climate Neutral Now pledge as well as being founder members of the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework.
- As part of its UN work, the club has committed to a 50% cut in emissions by 2030 and has outlined its strategy on the website.
- The club is certified as carbon neutral by the United Nations.
- Received the prestigious UN 2018 Momentum for Change Award in the Climate Neutral Now category.
- Is part of the Green Britain Group.
- An Environmental Management System has been in operation at FGR since 2012 and is certified for ISO14001 as part of The Green Britain Group Ltd.
- Focuses on the three biggest contributing sectors; Energy, Transport and Food.
- Where there is any apparent conflict between the environment and money – the club puts the environment first.
- Takes into account ethical and social issues, biodiversity, and sustainability when making all strategic and operational decisions.
- Will not work with organisations directly involved in; Factory farming, animal slaughter, animal testing, arms, tobacco, nuclear power, fracking, GMO’s or anything else it considers to be unethical, immoral or just plain wrong.
- Forest Green Rovers Supporters’ Club (FGRSC) became Carbon Neutral.
- The club has been publishing its operational footprint since 2011 initially as part of the EMAS certification and since 2019 in support of the ISO14001 communication element. A graphical description on FGR’s “Another Way” page of the website, shows how the club is looking to reduce its impact over the coming years.
Clean/Renewable Energy
- Approximately 15 to 20% of the club’s electricity each year is generated via the solar panels on site (47kW & 2kW arrays). The remainder of the electricity is supplied by Ecotricity as a 100% renewable supplier.
- The natural gas used on site is supplied by Ecotricity via their Carbon Neutral gas tariff, which covers the residual emissions from burning the gas by the purchase of carbon offsets.
- In 2013/14, FGR began measuring and tracking its solar generation (kWh).
- Uses sustainable wind energy that supplements the club’s solar power.
- Through an electric ‘mow-bot’, the club cuts the grass with a GPS-directed, solar-powered lawnmower, where practical all diesel powered grounds equipment is currently being replaced by electric powered alternatives.
- Digital perimeter system and scoreboard at the New Lawn Stadium doesn’t draw power from the grid, but instead is connected to a Powervault battery which is charged using the club’s own solar panels and wind turbines, making it the world’s greenest digital platform.
Energy Efficiency
- An Environmental Management System has been in operation at FGR since 2012 and is certified for ISO14001 as part of The Green Britain Group Ltd. The system helps to identify which areas of the club can be looked at next for improvements.
- Energy systems have been optimised to reduce energy consumption; thermostats zoned to reduce the heat load in less used areas such as walkways.
- Equipment is only turned on when needed such as hospitality fridges are only turned on just before a game and then switched off immediately afterwards.
- Cooking equipment is turned on to allow time to heat up before fans arrive, but no earlier.
- A pre-planned maintenance calendar ensures that all equipment is serviced regularly to optimise efficiency – e.g. HVAC system is serviced before summer and winter peak demand.
- Switched to a carbon neutral gas tariff which drastically reduced its energy related emissions. In 2020/21 the amount of electric used by the Club dropped by 18% and gas by 70%.
- Uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in floodlights.
- Smart meters have been installed for energy monitoring.
Sustainable Transport
- Has a Sustainable Travel Policy at FGR as part of the Green Britain Group of companies which sets out a hierarchical approach to selecting the most appropriate method of transport for a journey as well as procument guidance for pool vehicles.
- Transitioned from diesel minibuses to electric minibuses.
- Trialled the use of an electric coach for first team transport. Due to limitations of charging at the away club, this is not something that the club has been able to do regularly. Once the infrastructure is developed, the club will progress with this change.
- At the New Lawn, FGR provides cycle parking for staff and visitors (including match days) as well as providing electric charging points for visitors.
- Information is provided on the website to encourage fans to use sustainable forms of transport when they visit FGR.
- The club has worked with the local bus company to ensure that the last bus will not depart until 10 minutes after final whistle, even if games go into extra time.
- As parking is limited at the stadium, the club has worked with a local factory to use their car parking spaces at weekends and evenings as the base for a park and ride system, easing congestion around the stadium and reducing air pollution.
- League One does not require the club to fly. All matches are reached by coach travel.
- Fan travel by coach to away games is organised by the FGR fan club. This is included as part of our carbon footprint calulations It is intended that further investigation of the ways that fans travel to home games will be undertaken towards the end of the current season.
- Is working with partners Bolt to encourage fans to walk to games as well as increasing the amount that they walk in general. This is being achieved by using the Bolt app and gamification, where the club set its fans a collective target to walk 1.5 billion steps this season. The milestone was passed in January 2023. Additionally, the initiative also produces community benefits with donations from Bolt currently going towards community related projects such as increasing lighting on walkways to provide a safer environment and encourage more walking.
- Academy players travel to their training ground using an electric minibus.
- The club measures the carbon emissions of staff, team and fan travel and reports the results on its website.
- Recommends sustainable travel to all games and provides electric car charge points at The New Lawn.
Single Use Plastic Reduction/Removal
- Single use plastics have been removed from the site.
- Food containers have been replaced by corn startch cutlery and reusable chip trays and cups.
- Condiments are dispensed via pump dispensers rather than single use sachets.
- Procurement guidance promotes a full lifecycle review of new products which includes how FGR dispose of materials at the end of life. As such, cans have been introduced to replace single use plastic bottles and water refill points allow fans access to free water.
- The club recognises that single use plastics, whilst significant are not the only plastic threat to the environmennt and so it promotes the use of recycled material and reduction in virgin fossil fuel derived polymers wherever possible, including removing virgin plastics from its kit, in favour of fabric containing recycled coffee grounds and bamboo charcoal. This supports a drive to reduce microplastics in the environment championed by the club’s charity partner – Sea Shepherd, who are ocean guardians.
- All cleaning materials are produced on site and use refillable bottles rather than the club buying-in normal products in throw away containers.
- The club uses Event Cup Solutions’ new ONE planet ONE Chance Reusable system – a fully managed, sustainable initiative which offsets the carbon emissions of making, delivering and cleaning food and drink containers through a UK tree planting project. A tree is planted for every 1000 containers returned.
- Installed refill drinking water stations to eliminate single-use plastic water bottles, allowing staff and players to refill their own flasks. As crowds returned, the provision was extended across the stadium to the fans.
- Removed plastic bags from the club shop.
- Uses BioPak whose compostable products are an important feature of Forest Green Rovers’ matchdays.
- Switched to bamboo shin pads.
- Stadium wide use of washable cups, plates, clam shells and chip trays
- Procurement guidance encourages the reduction of single use plastic e.g. canned drinks rather than plastic bottles, pump dispensers rather than single condiment sachets, wooden cup stirrers.
- Free water points for public to fill bottles.
- The team use reusable bottles during games.
- Uses an ozone fortified water for cleaning the stadium which is manufactured on site thus reducing the need for bulk plastic containers and transport of traditional cleaning chemicals.
- Carpets are made of recycled fishing nets.
- Goal nets are made from recycled plastic.
- Club shop products are ethically sourced and include recycled materials.
- 22/23 Home Shirt and Shorts are made from used coffee grounds.
- 22/23 Away Shirt and Shorts are made from 50% bamboo.
- 22/23 Third Shirt and Shorts are made from recycled polyester, derived from recycled plastic.
Waste Management
- Local waste experts Grundon ensure any waste from the innocent New Lawn is diverted from landfill, as well as sending waste to recovery facilities to generate green energy. Through the partnership with Grundon, FGR was awarded the prestigious Gold Green Apple Award for Environmental Best Practice in Sports Leisure & Hospitality waste management.
- Procurement guidelines encourage a lifecycle consideration to optimise recycling and reduce general waste generated from site.
- Through lifecycle consideration, the club removes waste before it becomes waste e.g. portion sizes, the amount of material being cooked, use of recyclable products and containers.
- Is in the process of introducing a re-use scheme for food containers from its stadia catering outlets. The club has always used washable plates, glasses and cutlery in its hospitality suites but is now extending this out to cover containers including chip trays and burger boxes from pitch side outlets.
- Work with staff and local community groups to ensure that any food left at the end of a match doesn’t go to waste.
- Added a set of toilets for the away fans which clean up the effluent to produce soil conditioner, whilst the (clean) waste water is redirected to the pitch.
- Utilises reuse of lighting equipment confiscated by police to help stressed areas of the pitch recover.
- No programmes are printed.
- The club has a distribution network for unsold food and materials including reuse of kit and shop merchandise.
- Food waste is sent for anaerobic digestion.
- New recycling stations were implemented across the stadium with sections for compostable waste, general waste and mixed recycling, with the aim for 100% of everything supplied to supporters to be compostable or recyclable.
- All waste cooking oil is recycled into biofuel.
- Reduced paint for pitch marking.
- Online ticketing.
- Paperless membership scheme.
Water Efficiency
- Monitors water consumption on site (stadium, offices and shop) to identify any leaks in the system and implement repairs quickly.
- Captures rain that falls on the pitch which is then stored in a tank for use in irrigation.
- This season, introduced a new toilet block for away fans that will take the liquid waste, filter and cleanse it and then use that clean water for further irrigation.
- The club has duel flush toilets, waterless urinals and reduces water consumption wherever possible such as using a magnetic system to clean beer pump lines which reduces the frequency of cleaning and flushing the equipment.
- Collects rainwater from beneath the pitch to use for pitch irrigation, so it does not have to use mains water. 10% of water is recycled in this way.
- Water efficient line marking.
- Push button taps with aerators.
Plant based/low carbon food
- All food is 100% Vegan (Certified by the Vegan Society).
- In 2017, the club was recognised as the world’s first vegan football club when it was certified with the Vegan Trademark by The Vegan Society.
- 100% vegan food is made for players, staff and fans every week.
- Vegan food options change each matchday weekend based on locally sourced ingredients. Fans can expect to see anything from:
- Q Pie with Quorn – is served with mashed potato, deep-fried leeks, peas or beans and onion gravy.
- Vegan Pizzas
- Vegan Burger – served in a brioche bun with loaded sliced gherkin, fresh tomato relish, guacamole and lettuce
- Fajitas – stir-fried mixed peppers, red onion and Mexican spiced Quorn wrapped in a soft tortilla with fresh tomato relish.
- Sweet Potato Fries
- Commended at the British Pie Awards and picked up the Menu of the Year award from Sport and Leisure Catering Magazine.
- All of Forest Green Rovers’ food is:
- Free from palm oil, soya and 14 major food allergens.
- Produced in a 100% vegan facility – no cross contamination.
- Not fried in manufacture, reducing energy consumption.
- Packaged in home-compostable case liners and FSC boxes.
- Made with no air-freighted ingredients.
- Made in Gloucestershire at its own facility which has ISO14001 Environmental Management and SALSA certification.
- Non-GMO and never exposed to animal products.
- Has replaced dairy in its teas, coffees at the stadium and as an ingredient in the Club’s kitchen with Oatly.
- Uses Sheese products in a number of matchday favourite foods.
- Through its official pasta partner Explore Cuisine, the club’s pasta has been made with a variety of organic, plant-based ingredients including beans, chickpeas and lentils.
- Condiment partner ‘Rubies in the Rubble’ have ketchups and relishes that are made with fresh fruit and veg, whilst their mayo’s are made with aquafaba, a plant-based alternative to eggs that is usually thrown away.
- When players travel to away matches they even take their own vegan food with them.
Biodiversity
- The club has an Ecology Report for its “The New Lawn” site which covers protected species, protected habitats and biodiversity enhancements.
- A baseline survey was carried out in May 2016 to identify habitats and the potential for protected species on site. Subsequent bat, reptile, amphibian, badger, breeding birds and floral surveys have taken place.
- Forest Green Rovers’ Eco Trail includes beehives which helps support biodiversity in the area.
- Has an organic pitch which is free from pesticides or artificial chemicals. This ensures any water that the club harvest stays clean and chemical-free as it drains through the pitch and into the storage container.
- The club gives its pitch a ‘health check’ six times a year by taking soil samples and sending them to an organic farm for analysis. A mix of organic liquids and organic based fertiliser is used to re-populate the pitch with a healthy mix of what is missing to help it grow healthily.
- Borders of The New Lawn site are planted with wild flowers to support pollinators with bug boxes and a bee hive. In keeping with its vegan commitment, the club does not harvest the honey.
- The groundsman has a mowing regime that balances nutrients to support flowing plants but deter weeds and grass from dominating.
- Encouraged pollinators by wild flower seed sowing.
- Has bug hotels, bee feeders and beehives.
- Is working with seed providers to establish the optimum mix for the highest altitude club in the FA.
- Weeds are either handpicked or treated with a vinegar solution.
- The club has phosphate free kit washing.
- Proceeds from the sale of Forest Green Rovers third kit went towards Sea Shepherd UK’s work on defending marine wildlife from illegal exploitation, exposing atrocities to conserving species, and protecting ocean habitats.
- Soap is manufactured using grass from the FGR pitch.
Education
- FGR has a player engagement plan for the season which is delivered by the FGR Community Trust. This encompasses the first team, womens team and scholars.
- A Professional Football Association (PFA) representative and player ambassadors are selected for work with school,community and interested groups, to discuss our work at FGR .
- The club’s players have first hand experience of the sustainable initiatives in operation at FGR. During training, hotel stays and match day catering, all players are served a vegan diet inline with the club’s ethos. Other opportunities for exposure come from the use of electric coaches and minibuses, refillable water bottles, information provided around the ground, non-plastic content of shirt material, solar panels and charge points visible at entrance to the ground.
- Forest Green Rovers’ Little Green Devils food range is being utilised by school caterers across the UK. They link the benefits of plant-based eating and activity with raising awareness of environmental issues directly with children. This is achieved through stadium visits for caterers and children and in-school talks, Eco Menu Theme Day kits, and bespoke product development captured by FGR’s video team.
- Locally, Forest Green Rovers spreads the word about sustainability through its Ambassador Scheme, which provides a valuable link between the Forest Green Rovers and over 100 local schools, youth and community groups. By becoming ambassadors, students have the unique opportunity to see how the team has developed its ‘green’ agenda and how the club’s values are supported and upheld by the players.
- Forest Green Rovers Fit2Last programme – an interactive programme that teaches primary school children about why it’s important to keep fit and eat a healthy, sustainable diet. The club delivers sessions in the environment of a League Two Football Club, or travel to a school. Sessions could include:
- Information on a vegan diet and healthy eating
- A practical segment focussing on multi-skills, or on making matchday food
- A sustainability session referencing wind and solar power
- The Eco trail at the stadium
- Carries out guided Eco Trail tours before every home match and also offers them as standalone sessions to schools and colleges, with a guide and content tailored to the level of the group. Attendees learn about sustainability through the environmentally friendly features of the stadium.
- All staff are inducted with respect to environmental impact and sustainability at induction. This also includes temporary staff employed on a match basis who receive a briefing before starting work.
- Information boards are provided around the site informing visitors about all of the environmental initiatives taking place.
Communication and Engagement
- Forest Green Rovers Environmental Policy can be viewed on the club’s website: https://www.fgr.co.uk/policies
- A web page titled “Another Way” on the Forest Green Rovers website is dedicated to the sustainability initiatives of the club. https://www.fgr.co.uk/another-way.
- Chairman Dale Vince is a UN Climate Ambassador.
- Media interest in the sustainable endeavours at FGR is constant and helps the club to raise the issues surrounding its key pillars of focus – energy, transport, food and supporting nature.
- Attention by the media has brought an increasing number of visitors to the area. In fact, many of the fans themselves are replicating their team’s green vision by becoming vegan, buying electric cars, and living more sustainably.
- Regularly advises other sports clubs looking to emulate the club’s environmental approaches.
- The FGR Ambassadors Scheme – every year a team of young ambassadors are recruited to spread the word about the actions of Forest Green Rovers on and off the pitch. Ambassadors are shown how sustainability works in practice at Forest Green Rovers.
- Extensive community engagement from the FGR Trust includes over 100 ambassadors in local schools and youth groups as well as introducing a senior ambassador scheme for older fans.
- Community sessions conducted on energy, waste and healthy lifestyles, promotion of Climate Week in match-day programme, eco information on boards around the stadium.
- The club works with sponsors and suppliers such as Quorn and Brew Dog to come up with innovative recipes to promote its ethos and messaging.
- Charity Partners are Sea Shepherd with themed matches to push information on social and environmental topics.
- The Supporters club produce a regular newsletter which includes coverage of new sustainable initiatives around the New Lawn.
- Exposure on site to the environmental work is provided physically in the form of solar panels and charge points as well as in information form with info boards sited at strategic points. Further information is provided on the website and via social media.
- Teamed up with Sea Shepherd UK and Quorn for a guided beach clean with Sea Shepherd UK and the chance to take part in some ocean challenges and conversations, exploring stories from the deep and how to protect the ocean.
Additional information
- Forest Green Rovers has been granted planning permission for a new stadium – Eco Park, which will be the greenest football stadium in the world. Eco Park will have a capacity of 5,000 with parkland containing 500 trees and 1.8km of hedgerows planted all around it.
- Eco Park will have a predicted biodiversity net gain of almost 12% from its existing green fields – enclosing the stadium in a parkland setting with more than 2km of new hedgerows, several thousand new trees and wetland, and the return of the canal.
Information sourced directly from Forest Green Rovers F.C staff, website and third party websites
Information updated 07 March, 2023.
