Hoffenheim becomes home to German Bundesliga’s first certified zero waste football stadium

An official inspection and confirmation by environmental testing services company TÜV Süd according to the DIN (German Institute for Standardisation) Spec 91436 marked the culmination of what was described as an intense period for the club and PreZero, the environmental service provider that is the stadium’s naming sponsor.

TSG Hoffenheim’s PreZero Arena has become the German Bundesliga’s first zero waste football stadium. (Photo: PreZero)

And the club is now hoping that others will follow in its footsteps.

“We consider it our social responsibility and started early on the path to bring sustainability to the PreZero Arena,” said CEO Denni Strich.

“We therefore also welcome the linking of sustainability to the licensing of professional clubs by the DFL (German Football League).”

PreZero International CEO Thomas Kyriakis added: “The project demonstrates that a lot can be achieved in waste management.

“Ideally, we would like to avoid waste altogether. However, as this is unrealistic in a stadium, Zero Waste means reducing non-recyclable waste to zero and keeping all other materials in the loop as long as possible, giving them a new life.

“The stadium, as a microcosm of society, also serves as a role model and sends a signal to politics, business, and society as a whole on how the European Union’s Green Deal can be implemented.”

TSG Hoffenheim and PreZero have have been partners since 2019 and started the process towards gaining zero waste certification two years later.

Last month, TÜV Süd visited the stadium as the certifying company and confirmed the Zero Waste status with a bronze category.

The stadium’s 87% recycling rate exceeded the requirement of more than 85% material being put to higher-value use.

Key components of this achievement included an intensive training package for employees, collaboration with involved service providers, and the introduction of waste separation systems.

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