Sunderland AFC is delighted to announce a new multi-year partnership with Event Cup Solutions.
The three-year agreement will reduce the Club’s emissions and encourage sustainability at the Stadium of Light, whilst raising funds for SAFC’s official charity partner, the Foundation of Light.
Based in the North East, Event Cup Solutions are behind the ONE Planet ONE Chance® Reusable Cup System, which will provide the stadium with its own unique sustainable solution to enable the Club to further reduce its carbon footprint.
The ONE Planet ONE Chance® Reusable Cup System encourages fans to return their cups to dedicated bins located throughout the stadium, ready for Event Cup Solutions’ on-site team to collect.
They will then be returned for washing at the company’s state-of-the-art facility in Middlesbrough where they are put through a specialist process to prepare them for the next match, providing the lowest carbon solution.
Earlier this summer, Event Cup Solutions were awarded ClimatePartner status in recognition to the action they are taking to reduce its environmental impact through its products.
SAFC’s Head of Events, Nik Chapman, said: “More than one million people will visit the Stadium of Light throughout the next 12 months and this provides a real opportunity to maximise Event Cup Solutions’ initiative, which will make a direct contribution to helping us achieve our sustainability goals.
"Throughout the early stages of our partnership, ESC have demonstrated their passion for positively impacting our region and the communities within it, and we are delighted that agreement will also raise vital funds to support the Foundation of Light’s excellent work within the North East.”
John Reeves, Director of Event Cup Solutions, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that Sunderland AFC have embraced the concept of our ONE Planet ONE Chance® Reusable Cup System and committed to rolling it out throughout the Stadium of Light. It’s a fantastic success story for the region. We estimate the club will use in excess of 350,000 cups over the course of the 2023-24 season, all of them made and washed in Teesside. The resulting carbon savings made through switching from single use to reusable cups over this period is over five tonnes of CO2.
"Our aim is to make it easy for visitors to return the cups by providing collection bins which will be positioned in easily accessible and visible areas of the stadium. We are delighted that Sunderland are supporting a local business and doing the right thing for the planet. Best of all, at the end of the season, the Foundation of Light will receive a contribution toward the fantastic work it carries out throughout the North East.”