EUROPE – American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation, Pepsico has partnered with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to feature reusable packaging in this year’s Champions League finals.
At both the men’s and women’s Champions League finals next month, all food and beverage packaging supplied will be completely recyclable, with the men’s final including 220 recycling bins for diligent waste sorting post-event.
The Women’s Champions League Final will be the first to implement returnable packaging for food and drinks.
Fans can purchase drinks from 52,000 0.40L transparent cups with a returnable deposit of €2. Doritos Nachos will also be served in returnable trays throughout the stadium.
In Istanbul, PepsiCo is partnering with TURN, a scalable reuse system, to house 48,000 smart cups and bin operations at Champion’s Festival sampling stands.
PepsiCo chief sustainability officer Archana Jagannathan commented: “PepsiCo is continuously aiming to use its reach and influence to change the way society makes, uses and disposes of packaging.”
UEFA social and environmental sustainability director Michele Uva added: “UEFA is delighted to continue the collaboration with PepsiCo to deploy circular economy practices across these two important Finals.”
PepsiCo has partnered with UEFA since 2015. The global food and drinks company recently launched pep+ (Pepsico positive) Partners for Tomorrow, a platform to help its customers reach their sustainability targets.
This is not the first football event that has seen sustainable practices organized by Food and Beverages company.
Last year at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Coca-Cola Middle East partnered with Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) to introduce sustainable beverage bottles during the games.
Aligning with the SC’s key initiatives on responsible plastic recycling, Coca-Cola Middle East’s pilot of 100% rPET bottles marks the first time the packaging will be in circulation at a FIFA World Cup tournament.
This move serves as Coca-Cola’s debut in locally producing 100% rPET bottles in the region. As part of this pilot initiative, 350ml Coca-Cola, Sprite and Fanta bottles, plus 500ml Arwa water bottles, will be available in 100% rPET packaging.
Tolga Cebe, Vice President & General Manager Middle East, The Coca-Cola Company, at the time, said: “Piloting the 100% rPET bottles for our Coca-Cola, Sprite and Fanta beverages and Arwa water during the tournament marks a major milestone for our operations in the region.
“It is an important step towards our global World Without Waste ambition to collect and recycle a bottle or can for everyone sold by 2030.”
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