Study on Union SG’s environmental footprint during matchdays.

While the club has been measuring its environmental impact for a few seasons already, it has recently started to measure the environmental impact of individual matches to understand how we can improve the environmental footprint of Union’s operations on game day.

On Sunday 05/02, for the home game against Zulte Waregem, Union SG measured both the emissions generated during the match (including all preparation activities), as well as other environmental impacts related to water consumption, energy consumption, waste management, etc.

The CO₂ emissions generated for the match were 29t of CO₂, so an average of 50kg per supporter. For comparison, the average event attendee has an impact of about 200 kg of CO₂ a day.

Of the measured emissions, a little over 50% are generated by transportation to and from the event but 76% of Union fans use sustainable modes of transport (bike, foot, public transport) to come to the stadium. The second largest contributor of emissions are food and beverages.

The club has the objective to halve its CO₂ emissions by 2030 and to be net-zero by 2040. It will attain these objectives by implementing reduction measures across its operations, and by compensating unavoidable emissions. The reforestation project in Madagascar contributes to this work, with 125 000 mangrove trees planted, a yearly average of 1500t CO₂ will be removed from the atmosphere over the next 20 years.   

Aside from the carbon emissions, the club has put in place measures to address several key environmental topics, such as water management, the use of clean and renewable energy, waste reduction and recycling, the promotion of clean mobility, and the sourcing of local products.

The club has measured the environmental impact of Union SG – Zulte Waregem in collaboration with the VO Group, using My Impact Tool.