It’s almost a year since VfL Wolfsburg became the first professional club in the world to support the United Nations’ “Race to Zero” initiative. VfL, supported by Volkswagen and its slogan “Way to Zero”, are setting clear and measurable targets for sustainability and climate protection, with the firm intention of reducing their environmental footprint and making a contribution to the reduction of 1.5 degrees Celsius set out in the Paris Agreement. From Saturday 23 October, this ambitious aim of net zero emissions by 2025 will now be even more visible: a countdown clock has been installed in the upper tier of the Volkswagen Arena, until carbon-neutral football is being played in Wolfsburg.
What’s already happened
Of course, there is still a long way to go until climate neutrality is achieved at VfL and along its supply chain, but much has happened at the Green-and-Whites over the last year. The club’s carbon footprint was recorded for the sixth time, while reduction measures in the areas of fan and employee mobility, energy consumption and other hotspots were identified and analysed for potential CO2 savings. In the process, it was possible to improve the data management for recording CO2 emissions, which will enable greenhouse gases to be analysed in even greater detail in the future. The aim is to improve energy and water consumption and reduce the waste produced. Together with Volkswagen, the Wolves are involved in the "Development and Climate Alliance", are a member of the “Business for the Climate” initiative, and are also active on the climate advisory body of the City of Wolfsburg.
What the Wolves are working on
The e-charging infrastructure around the Volkswagen Arena site has already been expanded considerably. In addition to the 26 charging points already in place, more are to be added in the future to further advance the conversion of the vehicle fleet to e-vehicles for players and employees of VfL Wolfsburg. The energy-saving LED floodlights at the Wolves' various training grounds will also be expanded. In catering, VfL will increasingly rely on regional produce and suppliers, further improve waste separation in the kiosks and also work towards the goal of “zero waste” with the help of a waste analysis. Moreover, the product range in the fan stores is to be made more sustainable and expanded to include “Wir für Morgen” (‘Us for Tomorrow’) items. The introduction of a climate contribution in the Wölfeshop and a concrete calculation of a product’s carbon footprint will provide even more transparency. In the future, the climate contribution of each VfL fan will feed into regional and international climate protection projects. Other tasks include the introduction of a climate ticket as well as a related mobility and location analysis for a more climate-friendly journey.
