Football operations and, in particular, large events like the FIFA World Cup™ create significant amounts of waste. As an international sports federation and tournament organiser, one of our priorities is to reduce the amount of upstream waste that is generated. Where this is not possible, FIFA aims to reuse items and purchase items made of recycled materials that can be recycled or repurposed afterwards.
We also seek to use compostable items where there are facilities in place to break down organic materials into fertiliser. For example, cutlery from wood fibres can be composted alongside food waste, compostable cups, pitch grass clippings, timber materials, soiled napkins and hand towels.
We do this at our headquarters and at our tournaments.
Signage
We take steps to eliminate or reduce signage that is not essential.
We try to reuse signage structures and materials at future events.
Where possible, we look to use recycled materials that can be recycled or repurposed afterwards.
Food and beverage
We aim to:
eliminate and reduce the use of disposable packaging;
plan workforce meals to reduce food waste;
use reusable, compostable and recyclable packaging;
donate leftover food where possible; and
compost food scraps if possible.
For example, at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™, leftover food from stadiums was offered to venue staff, donated to food recovery partners, donated to piggeries for animal feed and/or composted.
Where existing infrastructure for repurposing, recycling and composting does not exist in the countries in which we operate, we seek to work with the hosts to accelerate the provision of appropriate infrastructure to enable a more circular economy, as well as encouraging recycling through awareness campaigns.