Arenas across Europe are to be assisted in raising their sustainability standards through a new partnership between A Greener Future (AGF) and the European Arenas Association (EAA).
The two have combined to develop AGF’s Arena Sustainability Guidelines for the EAA, which are intended to support arenas with the green transition, highlighting fundamental steps that venues from all countries need to take. The guidelines are based upon foundational requirements of Greener Arena Certification and cover areas such as waste reduction, energy efficiency, sustainable sourcing.
The EAA has 37 members in total, including Paris’ Accor Arena, Rotterdam’s Ahoy, and, most recently, Manchester’s Co-op Live.
“We are delighted to be partnering with AGF on this important initiative” said EAA president Olivier Toth. “Our members are committed to reducing their environmental impact and promoting sustainability across our industry. This collaboration is an opportunity for us to share our expertise and work together to create sustainable business practices that will benefit not only our members but the entire industry.”
The guidelines, based on the Greener Arena certification framework, include not only environmental but also social and economic impacts from EDI, Health & Well-being to local ecosystem and community impacts and investments.
Developed from the latest research and best practices in sustainable venue management, the guidelines will act as a set of recommended practices to facilitate EAA member arenas in their decision-making, planning and implementation. The guidelines will also be available to non-EEA members wishing to adopt greener business practices.
Claire O’Neill, AGF’s chief executive, said: “We are very happy to be working with the EAA on this project.
“Being a green business is not only essential for creating a better future for life and communities, it’s the only way to do any kind of sustainable business. Anything less will not survive the next decade. Through this collaboration with the EAA we have created guidelines to get arenas started that are relevant, practical, and effective, helping arenas transition to long-term, sustainable operations.”
A Greener Future was formerly known as A Greener Festival.