Wembley Stadium connected by EE received the certification for its Event Sustainability Management System just months after The FA’s Sustainability Team (FAST) were shortlisted for the Business Green Awards.
England’s national stadium has been awarded the ISO 20121 certificate, the highest international standard of sustainability in events, in recognition of its work to regulate the stadium’s environmental, social and economic impact across its events programme.
Led by facilities manager Sarah Smith with support from the Eco-Age team, the FA began developing its Event Sustainability Management System in April 2018. Sarah says: “As a multi-use stadium, it can be a real challenge to operate in a more sustainable manner whilst meeting the varying needs of each event, but we’ve been able to make real progress by coming together through FAST and finding solutions that work for Wembley.”
So far, efforts at Wembley have focused on everything from energy to waste and food, transport, community and wellbeing to training, culture, water and procurement and commercial partnerships.
The Stadium has achieved zero waste-to-landfill since 2010, and 16 water refill stations have been installed as part of its sustainability efforts. There are now vegetarian and vegan menu options in all areas of the stadium, and all employees are provided with reusable coffee cups and water bottles.
Electric vehicle charging points have also been installed outside the stadium, and soil has been donated from the venue to re-generate local parks. In 2018, more than 27,500 tickets to events at Wembley Stadium were donated to community groups, among numerous other initiatives that have been implemented and recognised by this certification.
Operations director Jon Sellins says: “I am hugely proud of this achievement. FAST has worked extremely hard over the past 18 months to obtain the prestigious ISO 20121 certification, and I would like to thank everyone that has played a role in enabling us to get there.”
Looking to the future, Jon continues: “At The FA, we are committed to leaving a positive legacy for Wembley Stadium. Our ESMS and fantastic FAST members are supporting us to achieve this standard to make Wembley Stadium a world-leading and inspirational venue. I am excited to see what improvements we are able to make over the coming years to further reduce our environmental impacts and ensure our people and communities continue to thrive.”
Find out more about Eco-Age’s work with Wembley Stadium and The FA.
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