Policy and Commitment
- An internal Sunderland Sustainability Index outlines the environmental sustainability initiatives of the club.
Clean/Renewable Energy
- Solar panels are already installed at the Academy of Light (training centre) and Black Cat House (club offices) and provide 538,790 kW of energy.
- 50% of the club’s electricity comes from renewable sources.
Energy Efficiency
- The club is part way through implementing a plan to replace all lights with LEDs.
- Approximately 50% have been substituted, including replacing the floodlights at the Academy of Light and Eppleton CW (stadium for SAFC Women and SAFC Under-21s).
Sustainable Transport
- Public transport links – rail, metro, bus – promoted on safc.com
- ‘Take the Kids for Free’ offer, allowing three children aged 11 and under to travel for free on the metro with a fare paying adult on matchdays.
- Park & ride scheme that reduces congestion at home games.
- Alongside its branch network, the club facilitates ticket sales to branches to enable them to operate coach travel to away matches. This means on average over 50% of fans travel to away games on coaches or public transport.
- Already over 90% of first team, U21, Women’s team travel miles are on coach or train.
Single Use Plastic Reduction/Removal
- SAFC’s home and away kits are made with 75% recycled fibres, which reduces waste and the club’s carbon footprint.
Waste Management
- SAFC has implemented a recycling initiative with the view to engaging fans in this process by March 2023.
- All waste is removed from the stadium and is processed off site with the aim to achieve 100% recycling to eliminate landfill.
- Switched to digital ticketing – from next season 95% of all tickets sold will be digital.
- All offices have separated recycling materials at source.
Water Efficiency
- Waterless urinals were installed throughout the stadium in 2022.
Plant based/low carbon food
- All hospitality, public concourses, player and staff refectory offer vegetarian or vegan food on every occasion.
- The club is striving to reduce food miles through its main food supplier, Bidfood.
- Bidfood and Peters provide food for the club’s concourse catering, with Peters distributing from a Gateshead-based depot.
- For the club’s executive catering, 100% of orders are with Bidfood, who source products from local suppliers on the club’s behalf.
Biodiversity
- The club is currently conducting an ecology survey of its land.
Education
No information provided
Communication and Engagement
- The club’s official charity ‘Foundation Of Light’ participates in Planet League competitions. Via the Foundation of Light Twitter page, the charity encourages supporters and young people to support Sunderland AFC’s participation by carrying out planet saving activities.
- The Foundation of Light Twitter page also raised awareness of Water Saving Week (May 2022) and Green Football Weekend (February 2023) respectively.
Additional information
Information sourced directly from Sunderland F.C. staff, website and third party websites
Information updated 07 March, 2023.