[Report] Enjoying 'Craft Beer Brewed by Wind and Sun' at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in England

Selected as the Most Eco-Friendly Club in the Premier League Every Year
100% of Electricity Used Is Certified by the UK's REGO
Local Beer Brand Beavertown Opens in the Stadium... Eco-Friendly Brewing
Restaurant Menus Feature Dishes That Reduce Carbon Footprint

An official is explaining at the Beavertown Brewery located in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in England. Photo by Kang Heejong

On June 24 (local time), entering through the south gate of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in England, a long 'Market Place' selling food and beverages stretched out before me. It was explained that this is the largest such space among European football clubs, able to accommodate up to 17,500 people at once.

However, the real point of pride here is something else. Visitors can participate in climate change action by eating food that reduces their carbon footprint. At the Seoul Birdie store visited that day, foods such as a 'hamburger with mushroom patty,' 'spicy Turkish kebab,' and 'eggplant & mushroom katsu rice bowl,' each marked with an 'A' on the menu, were being sold. Ian Green, the chef at Seoul Birdie, explained, "We have received carbon footprint certification from an external evaluation agency called Foodsteps." The food packaging is also made from materials that are either recyclable or biodegradable.

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where Son Heungmin plays, has consistently been selected as the most eco-friendly club in the Premier League by the SportPositive Summit every year, thanks to these efforts. SportPositive, an organization supported by the BBC and the United Nations (UN), promotes climate action, sustainability, biodiversity, and environmental justice through sports. Every year, it hosts the SportPositive Summit in collaboration with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The chef at the 'Seoul Buddy' store located in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in England is explaining about food that reduces carbon emissions. Photo by Heejong Kang

Claire Full, founder and CEO of SportPositive, said, "Not only Tottenham Hotspur but also other Premier League clubs in England are making significant efforts for sustainable management." She added, "Sports are also being highly evaluated in areas such as the transition to renewable energy, biodiversity, and coexistence with local communities."

Claire Full, founder and CEO of SportPositive, is interviewing with the Korean press corps. Photo by Heejong Kang

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which opened in April 2019, was designed with sustainability in mind from the outset. Equipment from the club’s previous home stadium, White Hart Lane, was reused to lay the foundation.

The most notable aspect is that 100% of the electricity used at the stadium comes from renewable energy. Marcus Parry, Tottenham Hotspur’s Sustainability Manager, explained, "We purchase electricity certified as green through a power intermediary," and added, "We are also considering installing solar panels to generate electricity directly in the future."

Marcus Parry, Tottenham Hotspur Sustainability Manager, is explaining the recycling waste management at the stadium. Photo by Heejong Kang

Tottenham Hotspur uses electricity that is 100% certified by REGO (Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin), a certification system operated independently in the UK. REGO certifies that electricity has been produced from renewable energy sources and is similar to Korea's Renewable Energy Certificate (REC). REGO certification is also recognized as a means of achieving RE100, a global campaign for companies to source 100% of their electricity from renewable energy.

The Tottenham Hotspur Market Place also features a brewery of Beavertown, a local Tottenham beer brand. It is said to be the first football club in the world to have a brewery inside the stadium. Beavertown produces 76,000 pints (one pint is about 568 ml) of beer three times a week, with a storage capacity of up to 80,000 pints at a time.

The electricity and heat needed for beer production also come 100% from renewable energy. A Beavertown official said, "The water used in beer production is also sourced sustainably, and the by-products from brewing are used as animal feed."

Tottenham Hotspur’s trash bins are divided into just two types: recycling and general waste. This differs from Korea, where recycling bins are subdivided according to purpose. Marcus Parry explained, "If the categories are too detailed, spectators may be less likely to participate in waste separation." Waste from the stadium is collected and recycled by the waste management company Veolia. Every year, 2.5 million cups are recycled at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

This article was produced with support from the Journalists Association of Korea and Next.