News article
Hoffenheim’s PreZero Arena awarded Zero Waste Arena certification
PreZero Arena, home of German Bundesliga football club TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, has become the first European stadium to be awarded Zero Waste Arena certification by TÜV, a provider of testing and certification services.
The award was aided by efforts towards climate protection and minimising non-recyclable waste, thanks to separation systems and instructions at the stadium to help fans recycle as much as possible.
The club’s Managing Director Denni Strich said: “The TÜV certification is a milestone for us. It was a great vision of us to get together with our partner PreZero to where we are now. Therefore, it is an important day for us and all the partners involved. We are looking forward to the future and further steps.”
Strich highlighted the club’s partnership with waste and recycling management company PreZero as a major component of Hoffenheim’s sustainability efforts.
He added: “The cooperation is very positive at all levels. Only in this way was it possible to achieve this goal. It has developed so well mainly because we and PreZero had the same vision and both have the same thinking and wanted to achieve the same goal. We succeeded. This required a lot of work, but I think we can now say it was worth it.
“This was just the beginning. It now continues in the club, in the office and in the Dietmar-Hopp-Stadion. Sustainability never stops. We look forward to taking the next steps together with PreZero.”
Initiatives at Hoffenheim included a reusable cup system or grass paper, which is extracted from the stadium lawn and printed on, and used for autograph cards and matchday flyers.
In April, representatives of TSG, PreZero and TÜV Süd came to Sinsheim in Germany to carry out the certification.
TÜV inspector Thorsten Gog said: “We looked intensively at whether the standard and legal requirements for recyclable materials are being implemented. How is it separated? How are recyclable materials returned to the cycle? How is it recycled? How is it disposed of? The PreZero Arena has met these requirements and has been awarded by us.”
Image: Simon Hofmann/ CC BY-SA 4.0/ Edited for size