Thu 07 Sep 2023 | by Rob Hutchins

Edgaston Stadium becomes UK's first gold standard cricket ground for sustainability

Edgbaston Stadium, the home of Warwickshire County Cricket, has become the first ground in the country to achieve a global standard for sustainable events as the organisation’s net zero plans gather pace. In the latest development of the ground’s journey with sustainable development, Edgbaston has been awarded the British Standards Institute accreditation (BS ISO 20121) in recognition of its Sustainable Event Management System. All aspects of Edgbaston’s event planning – including the sustainability credentials of the suppliers it works with – have now been assessed. The award was presented during the interval at Sunday’s Go Green Game IT20 between England and New Zealand – the first sustainable international match day of its kind here in the UK. Edgbaston’s head of sustainability, Lydia Carrington, said: “We are incredibly proud of achieving this accreditation. It will support Edgbaston in achieving our sustainability goals. “Edgbaston is committed to leading the way in sustainability and aims to be the most sustainable cricket venue in the UK. The BS ISO 20121 supports this by providing a framework, policies, and procedures for sustainable management. “This accreditation is the culmination of several audits and assessments in which the stadium met BSI’s exacting benchmarks around the planning, monitoring, measurement, policy, and leadership of our events. “Cricket and the wider sports industry can play a vital role in creating positive, sustainable impact, so having sustainability embedded into our process and policies is crucial.” The stadium recently outlines its green objectives in an Edgbaston for Sustainability pledge in which it aims to be Net Zero by 2030. BSI’s Sustainable Event Management System focuses on reduced energy use, recycling and waste management, reducing carbon footprint, and awareness raising among staff and visitors. Matt Page, managing director of UK&I Assurance at BSI, said: “There is a fantastic opportunity to harness the power of the cricket world and its many supporters to collaborate to reduce our collective carbon footprint, as well as energy and water usage and waste. “Edgbaston is leading the game by focusing on energy efficient practices and prioritising the environment and local communities. We are proud to have certified the first UK cricket ground to the event sustainability management standard, supporting the Edgbaston team to create positive changes and accelerate progress towards a sustainable world.”