Liverpool FC has revealed it leads the Premier League in sustainability in its recent ‘The Red Way’ 2022/23 season report – the club’s sustainability report.
The report reveals that for the second consecutive year, the club has topped the Sport Positive League as the most environmentally sustainable Premier League football club as well as claiming several awards such as the Football Business Awards, Sports Business Awards, Brand Finance Awards and SEAL Awards.
Rishi Jain, Director of Impact at Liverpool, commented: “The Red Way is a priority for the club, and it has been fantastic to see how quickly it has been adopted and implemented into every aspect of the business.”
Since its launch in 2021, The Red Way serves as a guiding principle to create unity among fans, staff, partners and suppliers, as they work together to achieve objectives and drive tangible change.
This initiative is split into three pillars: People; Planet and Communities.
Firstly, within the planet pillar, notable achievements include a 29% reduction in emissions compared to the previous season (2021/22), with 94% of club operations now powered by clean energy. Additionally, the club has offset 100% of emissions generated from its football operations, which align with the club’s overarching goal of attaining net-zero emissions by 2040.
In terms of people, significant strides have been made towards creating inclusivity and well-being within the club’s community, through the club’s Red Together programme.
The report highlights how Liverpool has maintained the highest level of the Premier League’s Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Standard, following its achievement as the first club to attain this recognition in 2017.
The majority of the club’s community initiatives are carried out through its official charity, LFC Foundation. Over the past three years, the Foundation has generated over £65m in health benefits and injected more than £16m directly into the local economy.
These figures mean that overall social value surpasses £192m, which translates into every £1 invested or raised for the Foundation generating a social return of £13.
The report also highlights the important role that official club partners play in driving The Red Way forward.
SC Johnson‘s collaboration in LFC’s plastic bottle recycling campaign at Anfield has driven success, achieving a 90% recycling rate on matchdays, up by 65% from the previous year’s 25% in 2021/22.
Additionally, the club’s official global training partner, AXA, funded mental health first aid training and qualifications for over 35 LFC staff members.
Jain added: “The commitment our fans, staff, partners and stakeholders have demonstrated to The Red Way has also played a significant role in its success to date and will continue to support its ambitious goals to build a better future for our people, planet and communities.”
Sustainability has become a priority for many clubs around the world. Manchester City, for example, revealed plans to transform its training base into one of the leading generators of renewable energy across the football landscape last month.
