Gloucester Rugby has claimed a first for an English Premiership Rugby club by going completely carbon-neutral on the reusable cup system used at Kingsholm Stadium for the 2021-22 season.
Gloucester has enlisted the support of Event Cup Solutions, whose ONE Planet ONE Chance Reusable Cup System is a fully managed, sustainable reusable cup system which completely offsets the carbon emissions from transporting and washing cups via a UK tree planting project.
The solution was introduced to Gloucester by Freemans Event Partners, which provides the complete bar service for the club. Freemans is the first company in the UK to introduce the solution to a sporting venue.
John Reeves, director of Event Cup Solutions, said: “The ONE Planet ONE Chance range of reusable cups, all of which carry a clear message ‘REUSE ME & RETURN ME,’ means venues and operators do not have the capital cost of purchasing their own cups. Instead, they rent our cups, all of which carry a generic environmental message, which will be used time and time again.
“We are delighted to have Freemans Event Partners and Gloucester Rugby on board, once again demonstrating they both take their environmental responsibilities seriously by actually doing something which truly makes a difference. Utilising the ONE Planet ONE Chance Reusable Cup System at the Kingsholm Stadium in season 2021-22 will result in Event Cup Solutions planting over 120 trees at a UK-certified tree planting project managed by carbon-offsetting specialists SQSTR.”
Gloucester Rugby’s recently appointed director of sustainability, Richard Weller, added: “Sustainability is a key focus for us as a club. We are proud to be the first Premiership Rugby club to achieve a carbon neutral status in respect of our reusable cups. When the opportunity was presented to us by Freemans Event Partners and Event Cup Solutions it felt like the perfect fit in our bid to become more sustainable.
“We want to help customers at venues and events and make it easy for them to return their cups. Our cups are not fan cups or souvenir cups – we want them back to be used time after time, and we believe that by taking that further step and planting trees right here in the UK, customers who visit Gloucester Rugby will play their part and ensure they have a great time, enjoy their day at the Kingsholm and, importantly, they don’t take their cups home.”
Image: Visit Gloucester
