Green Goal™ stands for green objectives and achievements of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ in Germany. For the first time in the history of the World Cup, an innovative, demanding and extensive environmental programme was successfully carried out and new paths pursued for large sporting events.

The organization of the World Cup was a great opportunity for Germany to present itself to the world as very friendly towards visitors, keen on sports and also environmentally aware. The World Cup Organizing Committee (OC), with its President Franz Beckenbauer, and the German Football Association (DFB) recognized this opportunity and challenge.

With Green Goal, the DFB and OC have underscored their sense of responsibility for the environment.

The Green Goal vision was both simple and ambitious: to reduce as far as possible the adverse effects on the environment that would inevitably be associated with the organization of the World Cup in Germany. The environmental programme also offered the opportunity to sensitize broad sections of the public for environmental and nature conservation beyond the World Cup, and to demonstrate that environmental protection can also be economically worthwhile.

SUMMARY:

In June and July 2006 the world experienced a breathtaking football festival, and for the first time in the history of the World Cup the environment was on the programme. With Green Goal™, an innovative and ambitious environmental programme was successfully carried out at the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ in Germany, which pursued new paths for large sporting events. The Green Goal vision was both simple and demanding: adverse effects on the environment, which would inevitably be associated with the organization of the World Cup in Germany, should be reduced to the greatest extent possible. The Executive Board of the Organizing Committee (OC), with its President Franz Beckenbauer, regarded Green Goal from the very beginning as an integral part of the planning and organization of the tournament and a contribution towards the “sustainable legacy” of the World Cup.

In the summer of 2001 the OC decided to commission a comprehensive environmental concept for the World Cup; and at the beginning of 2002 it instructed a team of researchers from Öko-Institut and WWF Germany to draw up comprehensive, ambitious guidelines and environmental objectives for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The Federal Environment Ministry supported and followed the progress of work on the concept right from the start, and the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU) (German Federal Environment Foundation) provided financial support for the preparation and realization of the concept. By the spring of 2003 the researchers had developed ambitious, measurable environmental objectives for waste, energy, transport and water; and, with regard to global climate protection, the organization of the 2006 FIFA World Cup was to have a neutral effect on the climate, as far as emissions within Germany – the area of responsibility of the OC – were concerned.

In March 2003, the environmental objectives, to which the OC and its partners were jointly committed, were presented to the public. At the same time, implementation of Green Goal began. During the following months, the OC and Öko-Institut worked together with host cities and stadium operators on implementation of environmental measures in the stadiums. Green Goal working groups were set up in a number of host cities, which used the environmental programme to promote their own municipal projects (such as the installation of solar plants, waste avoidance measures and the promotion of public transport).

In September 2005, Green Goal received prominent support: the OC and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding, in which they arranged to work together on the realization and communication of Green Goal. The then Executive Director of UNEP – and former German Federal Environment Minister – Professor Klaus Töpfer became Green Goal Ambassador. From the end of 2005, the FIFA and its official partners (Coca Cola and Deutsche Telekom) as well as national suppliers (Deutsche Bahn, EnBW) and other business concerns (PlasticsEurope, Total) joined the Green Goal team. They actively supported Green Goal objectives with their own activities and participated financially in climate protection projects.

Realization of the ambitious environmental programme was a challenge for all participants. On the one hand, there existed no empirical experience from earlier World Cup tournaments. On the other hand, the scope for environmental protection measures was restricted by the fact that in World Cup stadiums planning and construction work had already begun, and the OC had therefore only a limited influence on stadium planning. The additional measures, which were nevertheless undertaken to support Green Goal objectives, must therefore be rated highly.

These activities included, for example, measures to increase energy efficiency, the construction of rainwater cisterns and the installation of water-saving sanitary fittings and systems. Furthermore, environmental management competence in the stadiums was strengthened. ...

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Green Goal™ – the environmental concept for the 2006 FIFA World Cup™

CONTENTS:
Foreword 6
1 Summary 8
2 The creation of Green Goal 16
2.1 Chronicle 18
2.2 Organization 20
3 Guidelines and objectives of Green Goal 22
3.1 Individual fields of action 24
3.1.1 More responsible use of water 25
3.1.2 Waste avoidance and environmentally beneficial recycling 26
3.1.3 Environment-compatible production and the efficient use of energy 28
3.1.4 Environmentally favourable and efficient transport 29
3.1.5 The first climate-neutral World Cup 30
3.1.6 Bases for quantitative objectives 31
3.2 Campaigns and communications 33
4 The realization of Green Goal 36
4.1 Water 40
4.1.1 Action on water 42
4.1.2 Results for water 46
4.2 Waste 48
4.2.1 Action on waste 50
4.2.2 Results for waste 55
4.3 Energy 60
4.3.1 Action on energy 62
4.3.2 Results for energy 67
4.4 Transport 70
4.4.1 Action on transport 72
4.4.2 Results for transport 78
4.5 Climate neutrality 84
4.5.1 Climate balance: greenhouse gases from the World Cup 87
4.5.2 Compensation through climate protection projects 89
4.5.3 Results on climate neutrality 92
5 The communication of Green Goal 96
6 Outlook and recommendations 104
UNEP outlook 113
7 Data and facts 114
Imprint 120

Dear readers,
Sustainable effects of the World Cup were at the centre of planning by the German Football Association and its Organizing Committee for the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ from the very beginning. A few months after the final in Berlin we notice that Germany and German football profit from the sustainability of the World Cup as a result of newly-created jobs, the construction of spectacular stadiums and rekindled enthusiasm for honorary posts.

This report is concerned with sustainable benefits within the framework of the Green Goal™ environmental programme. The German Organizing Committee, with the close co-operation of the Federal Environment Ministry, succeeded in setting new environmental protection standards for the organization of large sporting events in the future. We would like to offer our sincere thanks to the Federal Environment Ministry (BMU), the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU), FIFA, numerous commercial partners, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), FIFA host cities and our consultants Öko-Institut.

We are proud to present the results achieved by Green Goal. They demonstrate that Germany grasped the opportunity to present itself as a country that is friendly towards guests, keen on sport and environmentally aware. The adverse environmental effects that are inevitably associated with the organization of a World Cup were kept as low as possible. Marked declines in the consumption of water and energy were achieved in comparison to previous large sporting events.

The largest rainwater cistern at a European football stadium was built in Berlin. Photovoltaic plants of the order of 2,800 kWp were constructed within the framework of Green Goal – enough to cover the total annual electricity demand of a stadium.

We are particularly pleased that 74 per cent of ticket holders travelled to stadiums with public transport, coaches or on foot. We set the signals for this with the introduction – for the first time at a World Cup – of the KombiTicket. And with the financing of projects in India and South Africa the 2006 World Cup in Germany also made a contribution towards global climate protection.

We hope that the organizers of large sporting events in the future will further optimize Green Goal, and that environmental protection will be a firmly established, integral part of the FIFA World Cup, wherever our tournament is organized.

I hope that this report arouses your interest.

Yours sincerely
Horst R. Schmidt
Senior Vice-President of the Organizing Committee, 2006 FIFA World Cup.

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