Louisa DaleyCoventry Building Society (CBS) Arena has launched several sustainability initiatives ahead of Coventry City’s first home game of the football season this weekend (12 August).
It is part of a venue-wide sustainability programme which aims to reduce CBS Arena’s impact on the environment.
Fans in the home concourse will see drinks served in a new recyclable plastic cup from the start of this season, with plans for the away end to receive the same cups by October. The stadium is working with Event Cup Solutions to implement the ONE Planet ONE Chance Reusable Cup System.
There will be no deposit or extra cost to fans, but there will be designated collection points throughout the arena to dispose of cups, which means they can be washed and reused at future fixtures.
CBS Arena has also partnered with Notpla and Vegware to introduce new disposable packaging for food and drink in the concourse. Notpla received the Earth Shot Prize in 2022 and provides a biodegradable packaging solution, with a material made from seaweed and plants that disappears naturally. Vegware will be providing cutlery made of wooden composite or plant-based material.
New signs regarding sustainability policies and practices have been put up around the venue, while an additional 34 new bins have been installed with recycling compartments.
As part of the long-term sustainability strategy, CBS Arena has partnered with Go Green to record and track all its waste. The partnership aims to ensure waste is being disposed of correctly, while the stadium is also collecting sustainability data from all core suppliers to monitor their performance.
In the last three months, the stadium has recycled 70.245 tonnes of waste, which accounts for more than 95% of all waste at the arena.
CBS Arena is working to reduce its CO2 emissions internally by consolidating deliveries to decrease the number of trips made.
The venue is additionally exploring long term carbon off-setting projects and will be working with local communities to support their own sustainability projects.
CBS Arena managing director Paul Michael said, “We’re looking at all aspects of our operations to reduce our environmental impact, and from this season fans in the concourse, hospitality and outside the venue will see evidence of changes we have made. This is a venue-wide commitment to be sustainable, reduce our carbon emissions and have a positive impact on our local community.”