Sustainability
For twenty consecutive years, we have published an annual sustainability report – Game Plan – to demonstrate our ongoing sustainability work, detailing our targets, achievements and the progress we have made.
GAME PLAN HEADLINES
- CO2 emissions down by 16% in the year
- Energy consumption reduced by almost 1.5m kwh
- Water use down by a further 50m litres
- Waste reduced by almost 50 tonnes, with all PET completely removed from the Club
- Large-scale matchday bus network rolled out to promote increasingly sustainable travel
- Work begins on one of sports’ largest solar panel projects
OUR PRIORITIES ARE
We are committed to being net carbon zero by 2030, and to achieve this, we have identified the following areas of priority:
- Energy and Water
- Transport and travel
- Waste Reduction
- Consumables and Food
- Measurement and Reporting
- Impactful Biodiversity
- Materials
- Local, active participation
ENERGY AND WATER
In March 2024 the Club announced plans to turn the City Football Academy into one of the largest producers of renewable energy in world football. The Club is now underway with installing more than 10,500 solar panels which will produce enough self-supplied renewable energy to completely off-set the annual requirements of running the training facility.
Last season, we used 13,388,021 kwh hours of electricity in 2023-24, which represents a reduction of 944,057 kwh against the previous year.
Meanwhile, we consumed 168,947 cu/m of water in the year 2023-24, which represents a reduction of 49,652 cu/m vs 2022-23.
TRANSPORT AND TRAVEL
Last season, we trialled a large-scale matchday bus network helping fans from across Greater Manchester to travel to and from the Etihad Stadium on a matchday.
During the trial, 92% of fans reported being satisfied with the service, finding it convenient, easy to use, and a great way to socialise with other fans on the way to matches. It also helped to provide an increasingly sustainable option for travelling to and from the Etihad Stadium. As a result, the matchday bus network will continue throughout the current season.
More bike racks have been added, and we have developed a City Link walking route for fans.
Waste Reduction
We are committed to reducing all waste handling and last season saw us continue this trend with a 50-tonne reduction in waste. Meanwhile, we recovered 70% of waste.
To help achieve this, we finally removed the small amount of PET remaining in circulation meaning we are now completely PET-free.
CONSUMABLES AND FOOD
We continue to use as much locally sourced food as possible, with over 70% of produce coming from the local area. Meanwhile, much of our food is also procured on a seasonal basis, and we support sustainable food growth by using surplus fruit and vegetables where possible.
Plant-based and low-carbon food including vegan burgers, pasties and loaded corn are available stadium-wide.
MEASUREMENT & REPORTING
For twelve years, we have utilised the DERFA (GHG) protocol for our emissions impact measurement and reporting. The continuous use of the protocol ensures that the Club can benchmark its actions and results year-on-year with the credibility of the protocol in place.
The Club also measures all its actions and activities across the GHG Scopes 1, 2 and 3. This includes measured embodied carbon and retrospective measurement.
This year’s sustainability report is the first time we have incorporated UEFA’s new Carbon Calculator which was introduced earlier this year. This new measure method allows UEFA to benchmark the progression of clubs across European football.
IMPACTFUL BIODIVERSITY
City Football Academy has reached the highest possible environmental standards – the gold standard under L.E.E.D. guidelines. Low carbon, low water and low waste measures are employed to minimise our impact on the environment and encourage local biodiversity.
The past season has seen 14 new species spotted on site, meaning the total number of specific on-site has surpassed the 500 mark.
Materials
The Club’s food, grass cuttings and compostable card are now turned into usable, sustainable compost for our landscape and we only use peat-free compost where it’s imported. Creating places and spaces for bees, moths, butterflies, bats and beetles is just part of the wider programme that’s helped make City Football Academy a thriving and healthy place to work and play for our club benefitting the wider neighbourhood too.
LOCAL ACTIVE PARTICIPATION
We cannot achieve our sustainable commitments alone, meaning that it’s essential that we engage people across all our operations.
This includes working with fans and community representatives to help achieve the change we need whilst working for practical and meaningful solutions to every issue, ranging from waste and congestion to energy and water.
In 2024, we refocused our neighbour’s meetings to reflect the changing nature and population of east Manchester and to support continued and new engagement in opportunities created by the club, supporting ongoing, local regeneration.
