“At Udinese, innovation is part of the DNA”

The roof of the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine is being fitted with a photovoltaic system. In an interview with STADIAWORLD, Magda Pozzo, CCO at Udinese Calcio, talks about the project as well as the club’s general sustainability endeavours.

Stadiaworld: At the end of September 2023, you entered into a comprehensive partnership with the energy supplier Bluenergy. In addition to the naming right, the main focus was on sustainability. What conclusions can you draw after almost six months?

Pozzo: It’s a five-year project which has only just begun. It will include many common objectives and ambitions that we will achieve together. Over the last six years of working with Bluenergy, sustainability has been a core shared value. In fact, for many years Bluenergy Stadium has been powered with energy exclusively from renewable sources, thus avoiding the emissions of 5,000 tons of CO2 to date. What’s more, a few weeks ago we unveiled the solar park that will be built at Bluenergy Stadium – a compelling project and one of its kind within Italy. In summary, I’d say that we’re delighted with how this collaboration has gone.

Stadiaworld: You talked about making the stadium one of the most sustainable in Europe. How exactly do you want to achieve this and what measures have you already implemented?
Pozzo: Our goal is to make Bluenergy Stadium the first carbon neutral stadium in Italy and among the very first in Europe. It’s a long process but we’re fully committed to this. We started by supplying our energy from renewable sources as well as a widespread system of separate waste collection, not only in the club offices, but in all areas of the stadium which we’re also introducing for matchdays. Of course, the construction of the solar park will help a great deal in us achieving the goal of becoming a carbon neutral stadium.

Stadiaworld: In February 2024, you announced plans to build a solar power system on the stadium roof. Can you outline the project and provide a few key figures such as the number of panels, total area or the amount of the produced electricity?
Pozzo: We’ve never seen a project like this in Italy. Starting from this spring, we will install 2,409 solar panels on the roof of the stadium, without compromising the safety of the facility or how matchdays unfold in anyway. This will allow us to have a facility capable of generating the production of 1,100,000 kWh of energy per year. That’s a very significant number as it will be enough to cover the entire energy needs for some matches.

Stadiaworld: What is the budget for the project and when is it due to be completed?
Pozzo: In agreement with Bluenergy we prefer not to disclose the exact figures. As regards to the completion of the works, we expect the solar park to be fully operational from October 2024.

Stadiaworld: Are there any other specific projects that you have planned for the near future? In relation to the stadium as well as the club?
Pozzo: From summer 2024 Bluenergy Stadium will once again host major concerts, as has been the case in the past, including the great international star Zucchero. We strongly believe in these initiatives – they enhance Bluenergy Stadium’s aim to be a modern and vibrant facility that operates 365 days a year and serves as a point of reference for the community. In fact, with the arrival of the new municipal administration, we also hope to be able to proceed with the Stadium 2.0 project. This involves the construction, in a 20,000 m2 area, of a nursery, swimming pools, gyms and a medical centre, which will be a great service for the community. The project is ready to begin but has stalled due to bureaucracy. We hope to complete it soon.

Stadiaworld: How are you addressing the issue of sustainability with fans and visitors of the stadium? Are there campaigns on match days? If so, which ones?
Pozzo: It’s one of our next objectives. The biggest challenge is to constantly increase the involvement of our fans so that they become more and more aware of the subject of sustainability. Implementing separate waste collection in every area of the stadium, including on matchdays, is an important step in this regard. We also aim to organise initiatives with the fans focused on this theme, which will perhaps also involve the players. Football’s media impact is huge and the duty of the sport is to convey these positive messages to fans. It’s already been mentioned many times but four years ago we became the first Macron-sponsored club in the world to create a football shirt using only eco-sustainable fabric, which now inspires the over 200 Macron clubs around the world who use them. We were especially keen to make this move as it would raise awareness among our fans – they see the Udinese shirt as a real symbol for them. What’s more, for the last two seasons our hospitality areas, which are among the most renowned across the world, have all been plastic-free.

Stadiaworld: The keyword zero waste is being used more and more frequently in relation to major events such as football matches. What efforts are you pursuing at Bluenergy Stadium to minimise the negative impact on the environment?
Pozzo: I’ll give you 4 concrete examples:

1. The solar park that has already been thematised.
2. We are among the first club in Europe using the new UEFA Software “Carbon Footprint Calculator” launched in London few weeks ago. A Software capable of generating reports on emissions. We decided to seize this wonderful opportunity immediately and start using the Carbon Footprint Calculator software, which is validated by Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS), the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company.
3. The elimination of plastic bottles in the stadium bars and hospitality areas and introduction of only glass bottles with a ‘Reuse-Recycle’ scheme.
4. We will soon start a project which will reduce food waste, providing donations to local associations of the food not consumed in the stadium bars and hospitality areas.

What’s more, we have a great medium-term dream and goal: to host, together with Bluenergy, the first zero-emissions football match in the history of Italy. It will be based on the model of Tottenham vs Chelsea three years ago, using car sharing and sustainable mobility to bring fans to the stadium.

Stadiaworld: In New York and Oxford two clubs, New York City FC and Oxford FC, are planning an all-electric stadium. Do such considerations also play a role for you?
Pozzo: They’re very interesting and groundbreaking projects. At Udinese, innovation is part of the DNA so we’re always eager to look into, in collaboration with Bluenergy and all our partners, solutions that make us increasingly green. This is why the Brand Finance Football Sustainability Index has placed us as the most sustainable club in Serie A and the fourth in the world. Also, for a few months now, we have been ranked among the 20 members (out of 450 applications) of the prestigious Committee ECA for sustainability. Through this we aim to acquire more and more experiences that we can put to good use. (STADIAWORLD, 25.03.2024)