Arsenal: Premier League club join UN climate action plan

Arsenal believe they can inspire fans across the globe to be more sustainable after signing up to a United Nations plan to help tackle climate change.

The club are the first in the Premier League to join the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework.

It means pledging to help fight climate change and helping others do the same.

"We've already implemented a number of environmentally friendly practices across the club," Arsenal operations director Hywel Sloman said.

"We will continue to use the power and reach of Arsenal to inspire our global communities and push each other towards a more sustainable future," he added.

Signing up to the framework commits the club and their staff to five key principles aimed at reducing their climate impact as part of attempts to limit global warming:

• Undertake systematic efforts to promote greater environmental responsibility

• Reduce overall climate impact

• Educate on climate action

• Promote sustainable and responsible consumption

• Advocate for climate action through communication.

In 2019 Arsenal finished joint-top in a BBC Sport Premier League sustainability table - produced in partnership with UN-backed Sport Positive Summit.

"One year on, we are proud to build on the work we are already doing in this area and encourage positive climate action to our millions of supporters around the world," the club said.

"Football inspires so many of us around the world and there is a remarkable potential for the game to become greener, more climate-resilient and lead by example for millions of global fans," said Lindita Xhaferi-Salihu, Sports for Climate Action Lead at UN Climate Change.

Arsenal are the third British club to sign up to the framework after League Two side Forest Green Rovers and Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership.

Going green - what Arsenal are doing to help tackle climate change

Arsenal's battery storage system can power the 60,000-seat Emirates Stadium for an entire match.

These are just some of the environmentally friendly initiatives undertaken by Arsenal so far:

• The UK's first football club to install large-scale battery energy storage in 2018. The battery storage system can power the 60,000-seat Emirates Stadium for an entire match.

• Planted more than 29,000 trees at the club's training centre in London Colney since 1999, to create the Colney Wood.

• Installed a water recycling system at the training centre to reuse water that comes from the pitch - in the last year, this has seen more than 4.5 million litres of water recycled.

• Became the first Premier League club to switch to 100% green electricity.

• Saves 20,000 single-use plastic cups per game when Emirates Stadium is full through a reusable cup scheme.

• Has water dispensers across all sites - saving 150,000 single-use plastic water bottles per year.

• Reduced energy by installing automated LED lighting at all club sites.

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