Udinese Calcio strengthens its commitment to environmental sustainability by following UEFA guidelines | OneFootball

The club underscores its position as one of the most advanced European clubs in managing environmental impact.

Udinese Calcio has reaffirmed its status as one of the leaders in environmental sustainability on an international level. This year, the club is once again one of the European clubs using the UEFA Carbon Footprint Calculator, an innovative and strategic tool that enables precise monitoring of the carbon footprint generated by all club activities and events, turning environmental data into concrete levers for improvement and planning.

The software measures Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions and is based on a methodology validated by Societe Generale de Surveillance (SGS), the world leader in inspection, testing and certification services. This project has been developed in close synergy with UEFA, represented by Director of Sustainability Michele Uva, and with Lega Serie A, both of which have long lauded Udinese’s innovative approach to environmental matters.

The club’s ongoing commitment to this cause has led Udinese Calcio to be included in major international working groups on football sustainability, participate in COP 29 in Baku, and most notably receive the De Sanctis Prize for sustainability last November at Palazzo Chigi, for the projects the club has implemented at Bluenergy Stadium.

A crucial contribution to this work also came from a collaboration with the University of Udine, which supported the data collection and analysis process through an internship connected to the master’s programme in Industrial Engineering for Sustainable Manufacturing.

The emissions analysis shows a distribution consistent with that observed in major European sports organisations. The largest share of environmental impact comes from indirect activities related to the supply chain, services and mobility, which account for around 78% of total emissions. The club’s direct emissions account for about 12%, while emissions from purchased energy consumption represent approximately 9%. This snapshot, enabled by the monitoring system adopted by the club, allows for more effective environmental strategies, enhancing ongoing initiatives and clearly identifying priority areas for future action.

Our experience: easy to use, hard to integrate data

Throughout the adoption and consolidation of the Carbon Footprint Calculator, Udinese Calcio has found the software intuitive and easy to use. However, the main challenge lies in the preliminary phase, when it comes to gathering and integrating data from multiple internal functions, often with different formats, timelines and levels of detail.

This experience has helped strengthen the club’s internal sustainability culture, improve information flows and make each department increasingly aware of the impact of its activities. A more standardised data collection process will allow for more reliable comparisons between seasons and increasingly targeted measures.

“Measuring means governing. The Carbon Footprint Calculator allows us to turn data into strategic decisions,” commented Magda Pozzo, Ownership & Strategic Lead at Udinese Calcio. “It is accelerating our journey towards a club model that is increasingly sustainable and competitive. Being among the first clubs to adopt these tools means we are actively contributing to defining the new standards of European football.”

“Udinese continues to be a flagship club in the field of sustainability,” highlighted Michele Uva, UEFA Director of Sustainability. “The club has demonstrated how planning and action can bring about a concrete impact on the football community and wider society.”

“Udinese has once again restated its position as a virtuous model in sustainability and innovation within the European football landscape,” stated Serie A President Ezio Simonelli. “The decision to use the UEFA Carbon Footprint Calculator is fully in line with Lega Serie A’s vision, a competition which has been using it for two years as part of the Road to Zero project for the Coppa Italia Frecciarossa Final, with the goal of making its events responsible, accessible and low environmental impact.”

Udinese Calcio will continue to invest in innovation, partnerships and advanced tools, with the aim of consolidating its position among the most forward-thinking clubs in Europe and actively contributing to the sustainable transformation of the entire football ecosystem.