At both the Women’s and Men’s UEFA (UCL) Champions League finals, PepsiCo and UEFA have announced they are implementing circular economy practices.
PepsiCo, in partnership with UEFA (Union of European Football Association), is working to find ways to achieve the goal of making UCL Finals zero waste to landfill by 2026.
At the Women’s UCL Final at PSV Stadium in Eindhoven on 3 June, and the Men’s UCL Final at Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium on 10 June, PepsiCo says it is working with UEFA to implement circular economy practices centred around the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) to minimise the impact of football on the environment and drive resource efficiencies.
Commenting on the measures, Michele Uva, UEFA Social and Environmental Sustainability Director, said: “UEFA is delighted to continue the collaboration with PepsiCo to deploy circular economy practices across these two important Finals.
“Our actions are focused on finding and disseminating solutions applicable to football matches taking place across national associations, leagues and clubs in Europe to play our part in tackling environmental challenges.”
As part of its “reduce” measures, PepsiCo is rolling out fully recyclable, zero plastic and biodegradable fibre cups at the finals.
PepsiCo says that as part of its “reuse” solutions, this year’s Women’s UCL Final will be the first to implement returnable packaging for food and drinks. Fans will be able to purchase drinks from 52,000 0.40L transparent cups, with a returnable deposit of €2. Along with cups, Doritos Nachos will be served in returnable trays throughout the stadium.
Likewise, in Istanbul, PepsiCo is partnering with scalable reuse system TURN to house 48,000 TURN smart cups and bin operations at Champion’s Festival sampling stands.
PepsiCo also says all of its food and beverage packaging supplied at events throughout the finals will be 100% recyclable. Additionally, Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium will include 220 recycling bins for diligent waste sorting post-event.
Archana Jagannathan, Chief Sustainability Officer Europe at PepsiCo, commented: “We are honoured to play a key role in both the men’s and women’s UEFA Champion’s League Finals. It is a privilege to use football as a vehicle to drive positive change on and off the pitch, whilst still providing fans with an unforgettable experience.”
