Carbon Footprint: After One Study is Before Another
Author: Joachim Geiger
Cities and event organizers bear responsibility for the carbon footprint of their major events. The key question for all stakeholders is what the greenhouse gas emissions impact will be. DEKRA's sustainability experts have the answers.
DEKRA Assurance Services' climate study on the UEFA EURO 2024 has been under wraps since last fall: commissioned by the University of Bielefeld, the sustainability experts have determined the footprint of the major soccer event for the German Federal Ministry of the Interior and UEFA.
Now, the DEKRA sustainability experts in the Sport & Events department are already looking at new projects for scientifically based greenhouse gas balances. The demand for this kind of expertise is considerable because an increasing number of cities and organizers are prepared to take responsibility for the emissions generated by major events – after all, it is estimated that events cause up to two percent of global CO2 emissions.
Many cities have therefore already set the course for avoiding or reducing CO2 emissions. The repertoire of relevant measures ranges from promoting environmentally friendly mobility to saving energy and minimizing waste. The host cities of UEFA EURO 2024 in particular have shown creativity in their search for potential reductions - for example by offering vegan and vegetarian food from organic farming and fair trade, using reusable tableware for drinks and food as well as using certified green electricity from renewable energy sources in the fan zones. This commitment to responsibility and sustainability can be backed by the most accurate possible statements about the specific greenhouse gas balance of the event in question - something that an expert organization like DEKRA excels at.
How close can a carbon footprint match reality?
How close can a complex climate study like the one conducted for the EURO 2024 actually match reality? A perfect opportunity to check with DEKRA sustainability experts Simon Fink (Senior Expert Sustainability) and Moritz Weißleder (Product Manager Sustainability in Sport & Events).
The data on which the study is based plays a key role here. “The better the data, the easier it is to implement new approaches and improve the results,” says Moritz Weißleder. “In order to increase the accuracy of greenhouse gas balances, we recommend comprehensive data collection, including the recording of specific consumption where possible.”
According to him, a well-coordinated management of the stakeholders involved in the calculation of emissions right from the planning stage would be helpful. In particular, the early involvement of service providers contributes to the most comprehensive data collection possible. In practice, however, full data availability cannot always be achieved. When calculating the emissions in the various host cities, for example, the DEKRA experts faced the issue that complete data on consumption in the fan zones was not available from all cities. The emissions therefore had to be extrapolated using the visitor numbers with the values from the other host cities. This procedure is a scientific standard, as Moritz Weißleder explains.
What role does the assessment framework play for the outcome of a climate study?
And what takeaways do the DEKRA experts have from their latest reference project? “The assessment framework is an important parameter for future studies,” says Simon Fink. Ultimately, this is about what is to be incorporated into the consideration of greenhouse gas emissions. At first glance, this includes the operation of sports facilities, the travel undertaken by athletes, guests and overnight stays in hotels. However, waste and water consumption also contribute to the environmental balance. However, the DEKRA experts favor a holistic approach: in the future – if desired – jerseys, teamwear, balls and other tournament materials and their emissions that are directly related to the tournament might also be included.