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Sports cannot advance and grow if are not linked to innovation and sustainability, a concept that LaLiga and Sports + Vitality know really well. This is why both organizations managed to create and launch its first environmental sustainability challenge in Breda.
The challenge focused on areas such as energy consumption and mobility, generation of waste, water consumption, and sustainable (re)construction. All companies play a role in achieving the goal of creating a culture of environmental sustainability within LaLiga.Thus, more than 40 companies from the Benelux regionapplied to be part of the event, and nine were selected and given time to pitch the clubs with solutions with focused on football performance.
Arno Hermans, co-founder Sports + Vitality: “We activated our extensive network in the Benelux to participate in this challenge. As sustainability will be a focus area in football, we are proud to contribute to the future of LaLiga and its 42 clubs. We thank LaLiga for having faith in us. And we see new opportunities to create international sports and/or vitality related challenges.”
RC Celta de Vigo, Atlético de Madrid and Valencia CF innovation, technology, operations & infrastructures and CSR directors and managers participated in the event to present their innovation and sustainability projects and departments, as they have put a special focus on environmental sustainability and innovation in the recentyears. Also, more than 15 clubs in first and seconddivision joined online to meet the projects and initiatives presented by the companies selected.
David Baixauli, LaLiga Corporate Social Responsibility Director stated: “For several years now, LaLiga has been developing a plan in the field of sustainability that is fundamentally focused on the environmental principles that are of greatest concern due to climate change and the conditions that we all know are influencing our planet.”
LaLiga clubs, committed with environmental sustainability
The different clubs of the Spanish competition are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to fight against the different challenges of environmental sustainability, in all its perspectives, and they demonstrated through the participation of its specialists during the challenge.
Rocío Torres, Atlético de Madrid Sustainability Project Manager stated: “Innovation is key to achieving sustainability. Thanks to innovative measures from an operational and technological point of view, we have managed to make the Cívitas Metropolitano stadium a sustainable and efficient infrastructure. Also, the Ciudad del Deporte is a project open to the community in which we intend to apply sustainability criteria through innovation, not only in the design phase, but also in the construction and operation phases”.
Christian Schneider, Valencia CF Operations and Infrastructures Director, commented: “Environmental sustainability is necessary to avoid compromising future generations and to leave them a better world to live in. Sustainability has gone from being a desire to a need and is here to stay. Valencia Club de Fútbol is committed to this vision and that is why we are participating in this forum to share measures and actions that will help us to achieve our goals”.
Enrique Puértolas, RC Celta Tech Manager concluded:“RC Celta sustainability model is based on three basic pillars, economic management, link with the society and environmental care. Every project undertaken is approached from the total balance and in continuous search for excellence as a management model. For us is essential to have high standards regarding the environmental care, both for the club and providers, and LaLiga’s recognition as a lead in sustainability is a proof of this initiatives developed by the club.”
LaLiga and Sports + Vitality like to present the selected nine companies:
• Waste Transformers | Enable and empower sports clubs to take ownership of their food waste and transform it on-site into value via plug-and-play small scale anaerobic digesters called Waste Transformers.
• DrainTalent | Draintalent is a unique circular soil management system, ensuring optimal conditions and balancing the moisture content within the soil. The result: high-quality surfaces, less cancellations, increased use.
• Slinger | The pre-fun of sports event starts here by offering visitors the opportunity to share a ride. It is great fun for them, better for the climate, and better for the club as it provides visitor insights.
• Goodless Smart | Goodless Smart aims to alleviate the challenges based on the single-use items and provide a solution that benefits both the catering and the customers. Their solution ensures that customers receive their deposit back, including deposits for their friends’ cups thanks to a RFID tag in the cup.
• Permavoid | Permavoid collects stormwater when it falls and reuse it to improve city life. For over 10 years their technology has been used for sports. From community pitches where they turn water into potable water for the kids in South Africa to retractable pitches at Tottenham Hotspur, and Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.
• Prodware – Prodware supports (sports) organizations adopting and implementing sports venue sustainability managers. Their goals areto support clubs in the challenge of environmental impact and seek ways to reduce this impact through data intelligence and IT infrastructure.
• TopGrass – The TopGrass Collector Field is a system from The Netherlands that generates heat from sports pitches from synthetic turf, which could be used to heat tap water of sports cities and stadiums or for surrounding areas and their demand like citizens with residential homes, governmental and educational buildings, and industrial users.
• Turfcoach – Turfcoach is pioneering AI on sports turf. Their software and novel sensor together with AI offer groundbreaking potential for resource savings, smart infrastructure and player protection. The software simplifies the care of multiple pitches and several employees.
• Sound Energy – Sound Energy is a multi (patented) innovation and award winningcompany, based in the Netherlands. Sound Energy is the solution for high energy consuming cooling installations and developed the patented THEAC-25. That can cool the smallest components, up to the largest installations or facilities.
