Premier League clubs have been criticized for using domestic flights this season, with flights of around 30 minutes between matches criticized for their impact on the environment.
But clubs are also judged on what else they do to improve their climate credentials, with an annual chart measuring everything from plastic use to plant-based foods.
For the fourth consecutive season, Sport Positive, in conjunction with BBC Sport, have ranked the 20 Premier League clubs according to their environmental efforts.
Here are the main results:
- For the second year in a row, Tottenham and Liverpool came out on top.
- Spurs are the only club to hold in-class environmental sustainability education sessions for their men’s and women’s teams.
- All teams lost points for taking domestic flights – a new scoring item this season.
- Four clubs publicly report all their emissions – Liverpool, Spurs, Manchester City and Wolves.
- Seven clubs have net zero targets, including Arsenal, Newcastle and Southampton.
- Forest Green – who came top of the EFL sustainability table – would have scored 26 in the Premier League table, with no domestic flights flown.
Club ownership and sponsorship are areas that have yet to be added to the scoring matrix, but Sport Positive CEO Claire Poole said “the organizations a football club aligns with” are “part of the overall sustainability picture”.
Poole added: “Current Premier League teams have between 13 and 46 sponsors each, around 350 organizations in total. There are very few fossil fuel companies, but although many sponsors are doing useful work, some may be viewed as having a negative effect on our planet or our society in some way.”
In a statement to BBC Sport, the Premier League reiterated that it “is developing an environmental sustainability strategy, which will set out plans to deliver on climate action”.
