Policy and Commitment
- ‘Lion Living’ is Millwall Football Club’s pledge to sustainability and can be found on a dedicated page on the club’s website here: https://www.millwallfc.co.uk/3fab4310-ddaa-11ec-b978-a3adb6772360/lion-living
- Has signed up to the United Nations Sport For Climate Action and will report its progress annually.
- Launched Millwall’s Environment and Sustainability Committee (the club advises that this has been in place just over a year).
- In 2021, became a member of the British Association for Sustainable Sports (BASIS).
- In 2022, became an EFL Green Clubs Member with the aim of becoming one of the first wave of clubs to achieve accredited status.
- Has undertaken a full review of its own environmental impact (via SECR calculations), using 2019 as a base year measurement, calculated as a full year of activity without disruption from COVID-19.
- The club has a collective goal to reduce the volume of CO2 produced by the club by 50% by 2030 (compared to 2019 levels) and its ultimate aim is to be carbon neutral by 2040.
- The Environment & Sustainability committee have monthly meetings to discuss and plan new ways in which the club can become more non-polluting and energy efficient.
- The club has listed its performance against the UN targets, both for 2019 as well as 2022 to show progress against the targets.
- The club’s fixture with Sunderland (4th February) was the club’s first-ever focus match for sustainability.
Clean/Renewable Energy
- Currently the club is in longer term supply contracts for both gas and electric. These are due to expire in 2024 and 2025 and it is the club’s intention to move to clean energy electric supply at that point.
Energy Efficiency
- LED lights have been installed in all staff offices, all corporate hospitality areas, all of the car park lighting and outside stadium lighting.
- Internal concourse lighting is in the process of being upgraded to LED lighting (currently c20% complete). The club is working with a number of suppliers as part of a tender process for stadium floodlight upgrades.
- The club has a target of having all remaining lighting (concourse and stadium floodlighting) upgraded by 2025.
- For the training ground, all internal and external lighting is LED.
- There is a daily process at both sites to turn off all lighting and non-essential power use prior to site closure each day.
- An energy efficiency plan is being developed at present with a 3rd party energy consultant.
Sustainable Transport
- Public transport (train and bus) travel is promoted on the club’s website.
- Grange Travel who are the Lions’ official coach provider, facilitates all first-team travel.
- 2022 saw the transition of all company cars to fully electric vehicles, with the plan to replace vans and minibuses as part of their lease replacement cycles. Through the change in the company car fleet, the club estimates a saving of 23 tonnes of CO2e each year.
- Charging stations have been installed at The Den which can be used by staff and supporters, both on matchdays as well as during the week. Through the change in the company car fleet, the club estimates a saving of 23 tonnes of CO2e each year.
- Conducts fan surveys on a regular basis including travel plans for home and away games. These are part of the club’s standard fan surveys.
- The club has not surveyed fan travel this season to date but is looking at a fan survey later in the season and will use 22/23 as the benchmark measure.
- The club has a staff policy with regard to travel, including encouragement of using public transport and electric vehicles.
- Remaining key vehicles and mini buses are due to be replaced with electric equivalents when their contracts are up for renewal.
- The club does not offer incentives at present, however, it has been in discussion with potential partners this season, especially for away travel which is predominantly via rail.
Single Use Plastic Reduction/Removal
- As part of the Lion Living strategy, the club has installed water filters at both the stadium and training ground to allow staff to refill water bottles.
- Disposable cups have been replaced for hot drinks at both locations.
- For the replacement of the cups in the stadium, there are mugs for all staff (as well as for meetings) at all locations. Additionally, ‘chillys’ drink bottles in place for staff.
- Players have their own reusable water bottles each day they are at training.
- With its supply chain (including Sodexo), as part of the club’s contract management it seeks suppliers E&S credentials and review to ensure these are in line with the club’s expectations.
- Use bamboo cutlery for disposal usage and have replaced straws with paper options.
- Sodexo (concourse caterers) have committed to a reduction of single use items in line with club change of suppliers.
- Since 2020, the club was able to reduce the consumption of single used plastic water bottles by 90% – from 56,000 to 6,000 per year. There is an ongoing effort to heavily cut down on all single-use plastic objects throughout Millwall’s locations.
- Each of Millwall Football Club’s 22/23 home and away shirts are made from hummel’s Eco8 material, a high-tech polyester made from up to 8 recycled plastic bottles.
Waste Management
- The club has been zero to landfill since 2018.
- A waste management policy is in place for all sites and is administered by the club’s facilities team, with notices around the stadium on this.
- Currently 85% of all waste produced is recycled.
- Battery bins are also being installed around The Den, as well as a new campaign to recycle small food packaging into blankets which can be donated to charities combating homelessness.
Water Efficiency
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No information provided.
Plant based/low carbon food
- The club offers vegan and vegetarian options across all its outlets, including kiosks and hospitality.
- The Billy Neil Sponsors’ Lounge and Kitchener’s Restaurant offers a Vegan Spiced Cauliflower Roulade with Chickpea Chutney and Tomato Sauce served with Herb Roasted Charlotte Potatoes and Panache of Seasonal Vegetables.
- The club also offers a matchday special Vegan Wrap with Falafel, Pepper and Roasted Beetroot.
- There is a vegan option for staff and players as part of the provision of food to all staff.
- The club uses local suppliers for meat and vegetables and also uses other suppliers who have demonstrated their own commitment to Environmental & Sustainability as part of their own supply chain management.
- For matchday food, there is a program of provided food with local sustenance as well as in season food options.
- The club dedicates two days each week to being fully vegan.
- Uses local greengrocers, butchers and fishmongers as well as brake brothers (who provide the club with their E&S credentials as part of the tender exercise).
- Focuses on offering local and in season produce where practicable but do have to have some items (fruit etc) for the players. All player and internal food is organic.
Biodiversity
- Installed insect and bird boxes at both the stadium and training ground.
- Wildflower and meadow planning takes place at the training ground.
- The club will carry out an ecological survey for its new training ground.
- A biodiversity policy has been detailed in the club’s internal policy document as well as its EFL Green Clubs submission.
Education
- Signage is in place around the stadium encouraging staff to think about printing, recycling, using lights and air conditioning.
- Aims to launch its own program with schools to recognise their efforts and link to the work of the club.
Communication and Engagement
- ‘Lion Living’ is Millwall Football Club’s pledge to sustainability and can be found on a dedicated page on the club’s website here: https://www.millwallfc.co.uk/3fab4310-ddaa-11ec-b978-a3adb6772360/lion-living
- The club actively promoted its ‘Lion Living’ pledge via a campaign newsletter for Green Football Weekend.
- Millwall Football Club and the Millwall Community Trust participate in Planet League’s competitions where fans could complete a range of activities that are good for the planet.
- Signed up to Pledgeball who are an organisation to help fans score ‘green goals’. Millwall will be selecting a number of games for supporters to make pledges.
- The club used the Green Football Weekend to further the education and awareness, through getting the fans involved in Pledgeball.
- The club encourages visitors to its ‘Lion Living’ Pledge To Sustainability webpage to calculate their footprint with WWF’s Footprint Calculator.
- Supported WWF’s 2023 #WorldWithoutNature campaign by removing the nature elements from the club’s crest for the day.
- Over the past year, the club states that it has embedded environmental and sustainability into every part of its way of working.
- Displays signs next to light switches to encourage staff to turn off lights when not in use.
- Millwall’s Environment and Sustainability Committee meets every two months, is comprised of staff from a range of departments and locations in the club and is led by one of the club senior management team. The CEO will also attend the committee meetings.
- The club’s E&S committee report on updates to all staff on a regular basis via email, detailing the initiatives taken as well as the actions on all staff.
- Players are also made aware, with two players (Bart Bialkowski and George Honeyman) also taking part in the external and internal communications of the club’s Lion Living pledge to sustainability.
Additional information
- Plans have now been approved for a new state of the art training ground facility which will be a net environmental benefit site, utilising energy efficient construction as well as renewable energy generation and water storage to reduce consumption.
- The new training ground will also include landscape conservation & local materials, electric vehicle charging, natural ventilation, low energy lighting, recycling and renewable technologies.
Information sourced directly from Millwall F.C. staff, website and third party websites
Information updated 07 March, 2023.
