Football has always been a powerful tool for bringing people together as thousands of fans cram into stadiums on matchday. The indirect effect of this is a heavy environmental impact. According to recent estimates, European football produces around 750,000 tons of waste – more than the annual waste from a country such as Liechtenstein. Statistics like this highlight the urgent need to adopt concrete and effective actions to mitigate the environmental repercussions of this popular sport.
With this in mind, Marevivo Foundation – having previously worked with BAT Italy on the 'Piccoli gesti, Grandi crimini' (Small actions, Big crimes) campaign to reduce the scattering of cigarette butts and small items of waste – has decided to launch the One Mission, One Planetcampaign with the aim of cutting down on CO₂ emissions and littering outside stadiums. The initiative is being carried out with BAT Italy and Udinese Calcio, aided by start-up company JustOnEarth and with the support the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region.
A fan awareness campaign will be run at Udinese's home games this season and during the 2025/26 season, followed by monitoring of the air quality. One of the goals is to initiate a process that leads to Bluenergy Stadium becoming the first smoke-free facility in Italy.
The objective of One Mission, One Planet is to use technological innovation and information to increase fans' understanding and public opinion of the environmental impact caused by not disposing of small items of waste correctly at sports events.
Besides raising awareness, the campaign – which will include signage and the screening of videos during matches – also aims to incentivise the use of sustainable transport such as car sharing and electric means of transport to come to the stadium.
In addition, fans will be encouraged to commit to behaving responsibly by signing the Fan Manifesto at www.onemissiononeplanet.it.
Thanks to JustOnEarth, satellite data regarding the effects of littering and CO₂ emissions on the days prior to and immediately after matches played at Bluenergy Stadium will be collected and analysed, with the results shared on the digital platform with constant updates.
One Mission, One Planet fits into European regulatory framework setting out strict rules for football clubs, including EU directive 2464/2022, which imposes better environmental, social and governance (ESG) sustainability reporting. In this sense, Italian football – though Lega Serie A – is a leading proponent of the new sustainable approach encouraged by UEFA and supports the sustainable development goals set out in the United Nations' 2030 Agenda.
Marevivo General Secretary Raffaella Giugni explained: “This project has a dual strategy: to drastically reduce littering – a study published in the United Kingdom estimates that a football match in Europe generates, on average, between 1.82 and 6.81 kilos of waste per spectator – and carbon dioxide emissions, while fostering responsible behaviour from fans. Sport, and football in particular, brings millions of fans together and is an important driver to promote increasing environmental awareness and actions that we can take to save our planet. Let's kick out pollution and play together to protect the environment and our health.”
“Our global strategy, A Better Tomorrow, is at the heart of everything we do,” said BAT Italy CEO Fabio de Petris. “We want a better future, and the One Mission, One Planet project demonstrates how potent this commitment can be even when people gather together in large groups. With this initiative, we're not just promoting environmental sustainability; we're helping to build healthier and more welcoming communities by targeting a smokeless future in line with our Better Tomorrow vision.”
“One Mission, One Planet is a crucial first step on a longer journey,” added Andrea Di Paolo, BAT Italy Corporate & Regulatory Affairs Director and President of BAT Trieste. “We are sure that thanks to this initial project, we can potentially involve all the other stadiums in Serie A with the ultimate aim of enjoying smoke-free facilities all over Italy. BAT Italy is leading the way on this complex and challenging journey because we believe that we all need to do everything we can to innovate by looking beyond the current boundaries, to create a more sustainable future for all of us.”
“We are very excited to be a part of this interesting Marevivo Foundation initiative to reduce the environmental impact of matchdays at Bluenergy Stadium, and I am sure that spectators will embrace it positively,” commented Udinese Calcio Managing Director Franco Collavino. “Achieving sustainability is one of our goals as a club, and Udinese was given the highest ESG rating in Italy, and fourth highest in Europe, in an international comparison of football clubs by Brand Finance in 2023. This campaign coincides with the recent installation of 20 recycling collection points inside the stadium and other actions we are undertaking with UEFA to fight climate change.”