Drinking water company Culligan has partnered with Forest Green Rovers to champion sustainable drinking water in football.
The partnership will help to reduce single-use plastic waste in sport by providing outdoor bottle filling stations, meaning that bottles can be refilled rather than disposed of.
Within the hospitality suite, a sparkling water dispenser has also been installed and is accompanied by a reusable bottle system.
Alongside this, a boiling and chilled filtered water tap has also been installed in the changing rooms to help ensure that the teams themselves have access to sustainable hydration solutions.
The move follows Forest Green Rovers’ renewed partnership with digital marketing agency Go Up, as part of the marketing agency’s commitment to have a client base that acts sustainably.
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The Gloucestershire football club has been described as the “world’s greenest football club”, with initiatives including environmentally friendly kit.
Owner Dale Vince is also founder of green energy company Ecotricity and has recently launched Ecojet, which aspires to become the UK’s first electric airline.
“We are immensely proud to partner with Forest Green Rovers as their hydration sponsor. At Culligan, UK we care about providing better, sustainable drinking water for everyone – at home, at work, and on the go,” said Culligan UK managing director Mike Ryall.
“By providing bottle refilling stations and other sustainable solutions in the Forest Green Rovers Stadium, we are proud to be working together to reduce the usage of single-use plastics as FGR continues to set the standard in football.”
Football has been criticised by some for sportswashing, with concerns about brands and individuals associated with the fossil fuel sector acquiring clubs in order to improve their reputation.
