Sport and sustainability – until now these two areas have rarely been brought together. Energy saving debates have recently been conducted less in terms of climate change than with regard to impending bottlenecks. However, sport is also increasingly discovering its social relevance in relation to this important topic. There are more clubs that start individual campaigns, and the DFL published guidelines a few weeks ago to encourage football clubs in Germany to be more sustainable.
The Füchse Berlin are already a step ahead and were certified as climate-neutral at the start of the 2022/23 season. So far, no other handball club in the world can claim that.
The idea for this came about a little over a year ago, when Christopher Jahns, Managing Director of the sustainable education platform XU, knocked on the door of Foxes boss Bob Hanning, spoke to him about climate-neutral concepts and quickly found more open ears. From then on, the project got rolling, the CO2 emissions of the professional club – together with its cooperation partner VfL Potsdam and the associated A and B youth teams – were measured for a year and the approximately 650 tons determined were offset by investing in a certified climate protection project .
But that should only be the beginning. Following the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the foxes want to restructure to bring their ecological footprint closer to net-zero by the end of the decade. “Up to now, sustainability has been a purely sporting topic for us, which we will expand to other areas from now on.
Everything comes together in a sustainable handball club that is unique in the world,” says Hanning about the ambitions, while Sport Director Stefan Kretzschmar explains his approach: “I want my children to be able to live on this planet too.”
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Big sentences that should be more than just lip service. To this end, Jahn’s newly appointed, honorary board member for sustainability drew up a paper based on three pillars: social, economic and ecological. In the social area – that’s no secret – the foxes have been very well positioned for a long time thanks to their sports sponsorship.
It is part of the club’s philosophy that young players are encouraged and that not only handball is recommended to them during their upbringing, but that principles such as down-to-earthness, mutual respect and open-mindedness are also part of the training plan. Operations at the local garbage disposal and etiquette courses are just two examples of the large-scale concept that is now to be further expanded.
In terms of social sustainability, the Berliners, together with their cooperation partner Potsdam, want to do even more for the next generation, continue to work with schools and clubs as usual and start new initiatives. There are also plans to launch a diversity program and to strengthen cooperation with the Spreefüxxen.
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Economically, the club is also well positioned thanks to healthy financial management. But there are other plans here too. For example, the foxes hope to convince their sponsors of their sustainability strategy or to be able to select them accordingly in the future.
However, this is not without problems. The pandemic has demanded a lot from clubs and companies, and donors are not always easy to find. Nevertheless: The chauffeur company, which was recently included in the group of supporters, has a slight aftertaste with regard to the advertised goals.
However, the biggest construction site is likely to be the ecological component. In order to reduce CO2 emissions, more green electricity is to be used, the players’ travel to and from the training centers optimized and the vehicle fleet converted to electric operation. When traveling, the aim is to rely more on the train, reduce everyday hot water consumption overall and also make the products used and consumed more climate-friendly.
“There are things that happen quickly, while others take their time,” says Jahns. “But what makes me positive is that the players and sponsors have all asked where they can personally start and have signaled their support.” Shorter shower times, which are so persistently discussed in society, became a trifle. Jahns emphasizes that it is often more about addressing things and raising awareness.
However, the foxes do not have all of this entirely in their own hands. The desired changes in the training center must be coordinated with the municipal owner, and the cooperation with the BVG, which is intended to make it possible to travel to the home games by public transport with a combined ticket, is a small political issue.
And even in the sustainably certified Max-Schmeling-Halle, which is often referred to as the “Green Capital Arena” with its climate-friendly energy and water supply, the sheep grazing on the roof and other measures, all that glitters is not gold. For example, the catering in the halls is increasingly being done without plastic, but the Nestlé stands will certainly not convince any critics. Equally vulnerable is the composition of the food and the variety of vegan options.
All in all, the foxes have set themselves ambitious goals. However, the impression is consistently given that this is not a high-profile marketing campaign, but an affair of the heart. The fact that not everything is perfect is due to the complexity of the project.
That some people should at least question the choice of a private car or the frequency of air travel in the future, as well. “I can already see that a lot of people have changed their minds,” says Jahns, who knows that the club cannot be completely restructured in a short time and that there will initially be negative judgments. However, the already existing feedback is positive.
“The interest we’ve sparked in other clubs and leagues is great,” says Jahns. “After all, there is no competition when it comes to the climate, there is only solidarity.” The first steps have been taken – and then sport and sustainability suddenly fit together.
