News1: Captain Son Heung-min’s home stadium is experimenting with ‘climate strategy’… and has also set up a brewery [The UK is at the forefront of climate change]
Greenhouse gas emissions from food and beverages reduced by 33% with a meat-free burger
Beverages are made of reusable cups and seaweed for packaging… Certification system has ‘limits
[Editor’s Note] The UK is becoming a leading testing ground for climate policy. Climate response is permeating all aspects of policy, from grid operation to industrial policy and diplomatic strategy, with the share of renewable energy temporarily exceeding 90%. Energy transition is becoming a daily occurrence in all areas of society, including grid reform and renewable energy expansion. Let’s take a look at the UK’s climate transition from the ground.
(London=News 1) Climate and Environment Reporter Hwang Deok-hyeon = “We offer mushroom meat substitute burgers and curry. And local craft beer. Reducing transportation distance also reduces carbon emissions.”
On the 25th of last month (local time), Executive Chef Ian Green said this while serving a meal at the stadium’s food court at the Tottenham Hotspur FC Stadium in North London. “Soccer fans don’t just come to watch the ball. I want them to feel the message of how our food was made.”
Tottenham Hotspur FC is a Premier League club famous for having South Korea’s national soccer team captain Son Heung-min, who became a ‘legend’ by winning the Europa League. After completing its new stadium in 2019, it has emerged as one of the leading climate response testing grounds in the global sports world. With the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2040, changes are being made across the board in club operations, from food and beverage to energy use and waste management.
Their signature menu, the ‘N 17 Burger’, is made with a 5:5 ratio of meat and mushrooms, which reduces carbon emissions by 33% compared to a regular beef burger. The Green Chef said, “Our goal is to develop a variety of low-emission menus, such as alternative meat, so that fans can naturally experience the climate message.”
The beer is brewed right inside the stadium. Tottenham-based Beavertown Brewery has opened a store in the basement of the cheering section. This is the world’s first case of a craft beer brewery inside a stadium. Marcus Parry, Tottenham Hotspur FC’s head of sustainability, said, “We are reducing greenhouse gases and logistics carbon emissions at the same time by eliminating the process of bottling, packaging, and transporting from an external factory.”
The club has also introduced a reusable beer cup recycling system. All beer sold in the stadium is served in washable reusable cups instead of plastic disposable cups, which are collected, washed, and reused after the game.
The packaging uses biodegradable materials made from seaweed, in collaboration with climate startup Notpla . Tottenham explains that it decomposes faster than regular plastic and naturally disappears into the ground without a separate recycling process. This technology won the Earthshot Award established by the Royal Society in 2022.
Leftover food is not thrown away either. Leftover food and cooking waste from the stadium are sent to local biodiesel production facilities or composting facilities. They are separated and collected through an agreement with the professional environmental management company ‘Bywaters’.
According to Tottenham’s own data, using reusable cups has reduced the use of disposable plastic cups by approximately 1.25 million per year. Using algae-based packaging has reduced plastic usage by 336 kg and carbon dioxide emissions by 3,770.6 kg, respectively.
The club’s power system was built in collaboration with global energy solutions company Schneider Electric. About 10 items, including lighting, heating and cooling, water supply, and wastewater, are controlled based on real-time data, and power consumption is adjusted by zone depending on the time of day when fans and employees are present. The stadium was built with carbon efficiency standards from the time of construction, and all facilities were designed with the premise of minimizing energy consumption.
Tottenham emitted about 94,000 tons of greenhouse gases over the course of a year from July 2023 to June of last year. Of these, emissions due to electricity use were virtually zero through the ‘Renewable Energy Certificate’ ( Green Certificate ). Direct emissions, such as heating gas, decreased by 37% compared to 2022.
Tony Stevens, head of public relations, explained, “Sustainability is the philosophy and system of the entire club,” and “We are expanding in all directions, from reducing operating costs to joint campaigns with sponsors.”
Regarding the possibility of connecting sustainability and sports, Claire Poole, head of Sports Positive, evaluated, “Tottenham is not simply putting forth an environmental slogan, but is creating a platform that will engage fans, players, and partners.”
The British government is encouraging Premier League clubs to establish a sustainable management plan by 2027, and is providing small budget support for some renewable energy facilities. The sports climate transition in Europe is active, and the German Bundesliga has regulations that allow clubs to have their operating licenses suspended if they do not meet environmental standards.
However, there are currently no solar power facilities installed on the roof of Tottenham Stadium. In addition, there are no distributed power generation facilities. This is in contrast to some companies that are installing wind and solar power on their premises. This shows that the renewable energy production base is still weak compared to the size of the stadium.
In addition, there is criticism that the current certification system has limitations in tracing the actual source of supply. Although people purchase renewable energy with the promise of using it, there is a limitation in that they cannot confirm the actual source of energy supply.
Tottenham Stadium does not have its own power generation facilities such as solar power on the roof or within the premises, which is in contrast to some companies that have wind and solar power facilities on their premises. It is significant that Tottenham’s sustainability strategy has been incorporated into the entire club’s system, but it is questionable whether its execution has reached the supply chain or infrastructure transformation. It is also difficult to solve the carbon emissions from aviation and road traffic of the numerous fans visiting the stadium in the short term.
Regarding this, Director Parry stated, “Our long-term goal is to install infrastructure such as solar power facilities and storage devices within the stadium,” and “We are also reviewing self-generation in the future.”
※ Supported by the ‘Offshore Wind Power Generation Program’ of the Korea Press Association and climate energy think tank Next.
Climate and environment expert reporter Hwang Deok-hyeon ([email protected])
Read the original article here (KOR).
