Wembley Stadium and Veolia thanked a record-breaking crowd of 77,390 watching the Women’s FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Manchester United for helping to achieve 77% recycling rates.
Smashing the previous attendance record of 49,094 at last year’s Final, the FA says tickets were sold out for the match well in advance of the game. Veolia now says that Wembley’s new fleet of new electric and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) powered vehicles, alongside achieving a 77% recycling rate, makes it one of the greenest stadiums in the world.
Veolia says it has worked with the Wembley stadium team to introduce a fleet of new electric and HVO-powered vehicles to clean up the stadium post-events.
The eco-fleet sweeps up around the stadium after every event and, Veolia says, will reduce emissions by up to “90%”.
Commenting on the recycling rates, Gisela Endres, Veolia Senior Contract Manager said: “Over two million people visit Wembley Stadium every year which gives us a huge platform to influence sustainable behaviours.
“Combining football and sustainability helps the fans of the future understand the importance of their choices and their impact on the planet, so the next generation will have the tools to fight climate change.
“Working together at the home of English football and the second largest stadium in Europe means we can showcase the innovations that make Wembley a sustainability leader and a great example of ecological transformation.”
Alongside the new vehicles, Veolia has also launched a schools programme in the London Borough of Brent, the home of Wembley Stadium, aimed at educating the fans on how football can be sustainable.
In 2010, Wembley became a zero-waste-to-landfill venue and was the first sporting venue to achieve the Carbon Trust Triple Standard in 2014. In 2018, it achieved the ISO 20121 international standard for its work in sustainability.
As England’s national stadium, we are fully aware of the impact that large-scale events can have on our planet.
Liam Boylan, Stadium Director Wembley Stadium, commented: “As England’s national stadium, we are fully aware of the impact that large-scale events can have on our planet.
“We are always looking at ways of reducing that impact. Veolia has played a huge part in helping us attain our objectives and together, we have introduced a wide range of measures to ensure sustainability is built into our everyday operations.”