Global Fútbol

Spanish clubs are leading the way when it comes to sustainability in football. That was made clear when Real Betis, Real Sociedad and Real Madrid were ranked near the top in the annual Football Sustainability Index from Brand Finance, the prestigious international consultancy firm. Real Betis were ranked second, followed by Real Madrid in third position and Real Sociedad in seventh place, meaning that LaLiga is the league with the most representatives in the top 10.

Sustainability projects are becoming increasingly important for clubs and brands to integrate into their business strategies, both for the social component and for the benefits they bring to the organisations. In this sense, sustainability can be a differentiating factor for an institution.

Hugo Hensley, the Associate Director of Brand Finance, stated: “It is no surprise that football clubs are beginning to feel pressures from fans, owners, sponsors, broadcasters, leagues and regulators about clubs’ actions regarding ESG (environmental, social and governance) matters. While the results from our extensive fan survey show that a small number of clubs have made significant strides in their commitment to ESG matters and communication of this, there are still substantial opportunities for further enhancement.”

Real Betis are the top LaLiga club in the ranking

In this year’s report, Real Betis are the second-ranked club overall for perceived sustainability, with an overall ESG score of 83 out of 100. This comes after the club launched in 2020 its 'Forever Green' initiative, a sustainability platform for companies and institutions that is using the power of football, the world’s most popular sport, to help save the planet.

As an open platform, the companies involved can collaborate on projects to reduce emissions and raise social awareness of the climate crisis. The club hope to be a role model for football fans and look to use the wide reach of the sport to help push for a more sustainable future.

Furthermore, Real Betis recently took the major step of becoming a carbon neutral club, after calculating and reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. The club is also involved in an emissions reduction project, one which involves 25 wind turbines in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

Discussing this achievement, Real Betis CEO Ramón Alarcón stated via the club’s official media: “Reaching second place in the Brand Finance sustainability ranking gives us strength to continue working like we have done so far with ‘Forever Green’, on a social level through the Real Betis Foundation and also on a business level by applying good practices. It fills us with pride to be in that position.”

Real Madrid’s commitment to sustainability

The Brand Finance report similarly highlighted the work being carried out by Real Madrid, who were third in the ranking with an ESG score of 79 out of 100. Los Blancos have continued to increase their environmental protection policies, making this a crucial component of the club’s sustainability efforts. They have promoted a series of initiatives to reduce the impact of the club’s activities on natural resources.

Among the key areas of Real Madrid’s environmental project is the recycling of materials and of water. Through an agreement with Ecoembes, the club has implemented a system of collection, transport and subsequent treatment of waste, one that goes beyond the guidelines set by the European Union. In terms of water consumption, the entire annual water consumption for the football pitches and ornamental landscaping of Real Madrid’s sporting complex comes from the recycled water network of the Madrid City Council, with rainwater recovery and drainage of pitches.

Real Sociedad and an off-the-pitch commitment

As for Real Sociedad, they have stood out thanks to an eye-catching initiative called 'Sareak' (the word for ‘Nets’, in Basque). This is carried out in collaboration with the club’s underwater activities section and takes the form of a circular economy project that sees unused nets rescued from the bottom of the sea and from the ports of Gipuzkoa, before they are recycled and turned into football goal nets.

It's not just with 'Sareak', as sustainability is a fundamental element for Real Sociedad in general and is a key component of many of the club’s actions. This includes projects related to new infrastructures, with the club working on a more sustainable design for vehicles and transport at its sporting complex, and it also includes awareness-raising projects, which make a direct impact on everyone close to Real Sociedad.

Another clear example is the campaign titled ‘Reale Arenatik Gipuzkoako baratzetara’ (meaning ‘From the Reale Arena to the Gardens of Gipuzkoa’). With this, in the 2019/20 season, 1,900 kilos of shells from the seeds consumed in the stands of the Reale Arena during matches were collected and used to make quality compost that fertilises the vegetable gardens of the Kutxa Fundazioa park. Following the success of this initiative, the club decided to expand the project around Gipuzkoa, taking the compost from these shells to vegetable gardens in six different municipalities and, therefore, creating an even more virtuous cycle.