Football Relies on EMAS and ECOLABEL to Keep Innovating on Circularity as a Key for Sustainability

The FREE KICKS project is co-ordinated by the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies (SSSA), and is in partnership with FC Porto, Fundación Real Betis Balompie, Malmö FF, Racing Club, Romanian Football Federation European Club Association (ECA) and Sport Positive. It will address the topics of circular economy and environmental sustainability in football organisations.

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Veolia500x250
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Veolia500x250

No organisation in the football world has yet pursued the adoption of EU environmental management tools, such as Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), EU Ecolabel, Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) or Organisation Environmental Footprint (OEF).

Against this backdrop, the FREE KICKS (Football Relies on EMAS and Ecolabel to Keep Innovating on Circularity as a Key for Sustainability) Project – co-funded by the European Union* – aims to trigger football’s transition towards the goals of the Green Deal and the New Circular Economy Action Plan, at collective and individual levels, by supporting:

The uptake of leading-edge environmental management practices and sustainable organisational models among national football associations and professional clubs, focusing on operational activities. Climate-conscious and environment-friendly behavioural patterns among football organizations.

Project partners will work on three key task areas

  • Assess the sustainability needs and environmental priorities of the participating football organisations, and three participating project partners will engage in obtaining EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) registration during the project.

  • Improve the environmental governance of the football supply chain in the participating football organizations.

  • Calculate the environmental footprint of three partner football organisations through the PEF or OEF methodological standards of the European Commission using a life cycle analysis (LCA).

From these efforts each football organization with the support of SSSA and project partner ECA, will define their own Environmental Improvement Plan.

Sport Positive, the London-based organisation that heads up world-leading Sport Positive Summit, Sport Positive Leagues, The Climate of Sport Podcast, intelligence bulletins, media and support to increase action and ambition on sustainability, climate change, biodiversity and environmental justice in sport, will support the project as communication and dissemination partner. This role will include ensuring the learnings and take-aways from project actions are shared with the world of football and sport, to encourage increased action throughout the community.

Over the project’s 30-month duration, from February 2023 – August 2025, FREE KICKS partners will share progress and learnings via dissemination moments including awareness raising events, a mid-term report and conference, knowledge sharing via podcasts, social media, newsletters and videos and a final report and conference detailing the findings and achievements of the project.

OUR NEWS

FREE KICKS Project Uncovers Current Situation of Environmental Governance in Football Supply Chain

Researchers of Sant’Anna School of advanced Studies (SSSA) have found that the management of suppliers of goods and services involved in the organisation of football events, and in the management of football infrastructure, is indeed linked with the ma …

FREE KICKS Project Completes First Football Environmental Audits

As part of the first phase of the FREE KICKS project, leader Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies (SSSA) has been carrying out an ‘environmental needs analysis’ of the participating football organisations, that includes an assessment of the of sustaina …

Partners Convene For 2nd Steering Committee Meeting

5th October, London: FREE KICKS partners convened for the 2nd Steering Committee meeting today at the Kia Oval in London; with Project Co-ordinator Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Communications and Dissemination Partner Sport Positive and footba …

FREE KICKS Share Updates at Sport Positive Summit 2023

4th October 2023, London: FREE KICKS partners Real Betis Balompie, FC Porto, Malmö FF and Co-ordinating Partner Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, have this week been in attendance at the Sport Positive Summit 2023, in collaboration with UN Climate …

FREE KICKS Begins Work to Improve Environmental Governance of Football Supply Chain

13 September, Pisa: Over 6 months have passed since the start of the FREE KICKS project. This period has been focused on the assessment phase of the environmental governance and management of the participating football organisations: Racing Club, Porto …

Watch FREE KICKS Project Video Now

Did you know no football organisation has yet pursued the adoption of EU environmental management tools, such as Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) or EU Ecolabel? The FREE KICKS* Project is looking to change that, with the uptake of leading-edge environmental management practices and supporting climate-conscious and environment-friendly behavioural patterns among football organisations. Check out the new video launched today, outlining this work

FREE KICKS launch website on World Environment Day 2023

On World Environment Day 2023, the EU-funded FREE KICKS project has launched it’s website.

FREE KICKS Project Kicks Off in Argentina

FREE KICKS Project Kicks Off in Argentina The first activities for the FREE KICKS project have started in Buenos Aires, Argentina with Racing Club, one of the partners of the project and one of the most important Argentinian and South American football …

Football Partners Support Transition Towards Goals of EU Green Deal

Football Partners Support Transition Towards Goals of EU Green Deal April 14th, 2023, Pisa