Sustainability in the Premier League

It’s World Environment Day on Monday 5th June, which is the biggest international day for the environment, led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Sport Positive are aiming to help make a difference with football clubs in the Premier League by ranking each clubs commitment to environmental sustainability. Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC have once again come out on top of the Premier League Sustainability Rankings table with 24 points out of a maximum of 27. Sport Positive release the rankings each year, backed by the United Nations, which takes into account the efforts clubs are making to have a positive effect on the environment. The table ranks teams based on a number of factors that have an impact on the environment. These range from using sustainable transport by not flying to domestic games, to waste and water efficiency. In this blog we’ll take a look at how each team scored in the Premier League and what Sport Positive aim to do.

Sport Positive and Environmental Sustainability

The key goal of Sports Positive is to share information on the action and sustainability efforts on football clubs, while encouraging them to take further action to become more sustainable and environmentally friendly. They collate key data annually that shows environmental sustainability information for each club in the Premier League. They use different categories to reflect the environmental impact a club has and the different types of initiatives that a club implements to make a difference. The Premier League Matrix for environmental sustainability began in the 2018/2019 season and has released rankings each year since then. They have also begun to look at the Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and the EFL.

What Categories Are The Clubs Scored By?

There are currently 12 categories that clubs are scored in, this number should increase with a desire for the clubs to be scored on issues relating to ownership and sponsorship. The 12 categories are as follows:

Policy and Commitment
Clean Energy
Energy Efficiency
Sustainable Transport
Single Use Plastic Reduction or Removal
Waste Management
Plant-Based/Low-Carbon Food
Biodiversity
Education
Comms & Engagement on Sustainability
Sustainable Procurement

Club Rankings and Key Facts

Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC are leading the way, raking in 24 points out of 27 with Spurs being the only club to put on classroom education sessions on environmental sustainability. Liverpool introduced The Red Way in 2021, showing their ongoing commitment to creating a more sustainable future. There are also only four clubs in the league that publicly report their emissions, these are Liverpool, Spurs, Manchester City and Wolves. Forest Green came top of the EFL table and would have scored 26 points out of 27 if they were in the Premier League. The Premier League rankings below show Liverpool and Spurs coming joint top for a second time in a row, while newly promoted Nottingham Forest are at the bottom:

With an increasing focus on the sustainability of football throughout the pyramid, it is clear that clubs are taking their impact seriously and are striving to make themselves more environmentally friendly, while still competing at the very top level of the sport. It will be interesting to see how each club continues to perform in the table and whether more clubs can emulate what Liverpool and Tottenham do every year.