€29.6m invested into sustainability at Euro 2024: UEFA

The Euro 2024 tournament in Germany was accompanied by an investment of €29.6 million in sustainability, the continental body UEFA and the German Football Federation (DFB) said on Friday, reported dpa.

The statement that the investment allowed UEFA to implement more than 120 sustainability actions and achieve 95% of its pre-event target.

“We succeeded in making sustainability a key issue at EURO 2024, and we are proud of that," DFB president Bernd Neuendorf said.

"We are going to continue pushing the issue of sustainability. It will naturally be an integral part of our bid to host the 2029 UEFA Women's European Championship.”

The statement said that air travel was reduced by 75% compared with the 2016 tournament in France, carbon emissions by 21% and waste by 36%.

In addition, a €7 million climate fund supported 272 sustainable infrastructure projects for amateur clubs and regional associations across Germany.

But environmental groups were critical, especially concerning some short haul flights by teams, too much plastic for UEFA merchandise and not enough recyclable packaging for food and drinks.

The Environmental Action Germany group said that short flights or non-returnable packaging would not be less harmful to the climate because energy-saving bulbs are used in the dressing room of an amateur club.