UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 final to feature all sustainable food packaging
Friday, July 29, 2022
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UEFA to implement circular economy practices at a major tournament in the UK for the first time.
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UEFA and Just Eat have today announced that for the first time, biodegradable food packaging will be used at a major football match in the UK. In collaboration with Notpla, all food outlets will have seaweed-coated biodegradable packaging at the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 final, at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 31 July.
This collaboration supports the transition to circular economy food and beverage practices with the aim of producing the first zero waste to landfill UEFA final by 2024, and aligns with UEFA’s Circular Economy Policy which targets to embed the 4Rs Framework (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover) in all operations to minimise the impact of football on the environment and drive resource efficiency and cost savings by 2030.
The cardboard box food packaging, sourced by Just Eat, that will be used at the final is made from tree and grass pulp with no synthetic additives and are lined with seaweed to be water-resistant and greaseproof. This innovative seaweed-lined packaging is both recyclable and home-compostable, and will biodegrade within 4-6 weeks, just like a piece of fruit.
Additionally, UEFA and Just Eat are working with Veolia, Wembley Stadium's resource management partner, to ensure the packaging will be separated for onward treatment at an Anaerobic Digestion plant to produce renewable electricity. This digestion plant treats food waste and other organic matter to produce enough renewable electricity to power approximately 6,500 homes annually.
The sustainable packaging will also be used at the Just Eat Fan Festival at Trafalgar Square from 23-31 July, as well as the Hot Takes Live Event on Saturday 30 July.
Michele Uva, Director of Football & Social Responsibility at UEFA
“The circular economy is an important pillar of UEFA's Football Sustainability Strategy 2030. Working with Just Eat to assess aspects of a food & beverage circularity pilot project at the world’s biggest women national competition match is an important milestone in UEFA’s efforts to minimise the impact of football on the environment and drive resource efficiency and cost savings. Building on best practices of Just Eat and other stakeholders, we are developing a practical guide to help us achieve zero plastic and food waste – within UEFA, across UEFA events and collaboratively across European football.”
Jaz Rabadia, Head of Responsible Business and Sustainability at Just Eat Takeaway.com
“Using our global sponsorship partnership with UEFA is a perfect way to showcase this sustainable packaging initiative within the football industry, giving Just Eat the chance to drive and test new innovations with football fans. We're committed to using our scale and influence to drive a more sustainable future for the food delivery industry and we're so excited to see this come to life at such a huge sporting event.”
We're committed to using our scale and influence to drive a more sustainable future for the food delivery industry and we're so excited to see this come to life at such a huge sporting event.”
UEFA also recently signed a sustainability-based Memorandum of Understanding with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.
For more information about UEFA’s role in creating a more sustainable future, click here.