09 Sep 2019
Green matters: Wembley secures highest ISO sustainability standard
BY Tom Walker
Wembley Stadium has been awarded the highest standard of sustainability by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
England’s national stadium – which is owned and operated by the Football Association – secured the international standard for event sustainability management systems (ISO 20121) for its work in regulating the stadium’s social, economic and environmental impact across all its events.
Led by the Football Association’s Sustainability Team, environmentally-friendly achievements at the stadium have included reducing landfill waste to zero, piloting reusable cups and eliminating plastic straws at the venue and donating soil from the pitch to local parks as part of a re-generation initiative.
According to Sarah Smith, Wembley Stadium facilities manager, the certification is a "significant milestone" for Wembley Stadium and for The FA – which owns the venue.
"This is a huge achievement for Wembley Stadium and for all the employees who continually make an effort to maintain the high standards we have set under our system," SMith said.
"Maintaining these standards requires everyone to adapt and change their “business-as-usual” approach.
"As a multi-use stadium, it can be a real challenge to operate in a more sustainable manner whilst meeting the varying needs of each event, but we’ve been able to make real progress by coming together through the Football Association’s Sustainability Team and finding solutions that work for Wembley.
"I am proud to be able to play a part in positioning the stadium as a sustainability leader and look forward to developing further improvements and implementing more beneficial sustainability initiatives."
ISO 20121 was introduced to help event-related organisations to become more socially responsible, reduce the environmental footprint of events and continue to be financially successful.
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