Real Betis have taken another step towards environmental sustainability by launching a pioneering project. The club, through its Forever Green Foundation and in collaboration with Gravity Wave and Reale Seguros, have promoted the creation and installation of the first seats at the Estadio Benito Villamarín made 100% from fishing nets recovered from Spanish seas and ports.

“Taking care of our seas and oceans was an issue that we had pending since the start of our environmental programme,” stated Rafael Muela, the director of the Real Betis Foundation. He pointed out that around 12 million tonnes of plastic are dumped into the seas and oceans every year, with most of this waste being fishing nets and fishing gear.

With this in mind, Gravity Wave, one of Forever Green’s partners, proposed this new initiative. As Muela explaned: “Having partnered with our environmental sustainability platform, they proposed this idea to us and it seemed that the ideal moment to launch it was at the Forever Green match. Revaluing waste to obtain quality products shows how a better future is possible, and these seats that we have just launched are a great example.”

Making the most of football’s platform to provide inspiration 

This challenge is undoubtedly another step towards environmental sustainability. The club’s plan with this project is for a large section of the stadium to soon use this type of seat and to “serve as an inspiration” for other football clubs to also make 100% recycled seats by rescuing waste from the sea. The foundation director added: “We have to take advantage of football’s platform and position as a loudspeaker, to make the whole world aware of the importance of caring for the environment.”

For Real Betis, it is essential that the club’s sponsors and collaborating companies also have a social commitment and are aligned with the Forever Green programme. They stated: “We’re proud to be able to carry out this unique project alongside our sponsor Reale Seguros, our Forever Green partner Gravity Wave and the Plastic Free Oceans movement.”

This project, with the world’s first seats that are 100% made from fishing nets, is a pilot test, but the aim is to expand this pioneering development and to soon equip a larger section of the Benito Villamarín Stadium with these seats. In addition, Muela revealed: “We will soon unveil goal nets which will also be made from fishing nets rescued from the bottom of the sea, an action that we are carrying out together with Finetwork, our main sponsor.”

Sustainable initiatives at the club facilities

Beyond this, the club added that, in the coming weeks, they will also have ozonised water cleaning systems for disinfecting and cleaning their facilities, as well as for laundry and clothing care, eliminating the use of chemical products. Meanwhile, osmosis water fountains have been installed for consumption at the Ciudad Deportiva Luis del Sol and at the Benito Villamarín offices.

In addition, Real Betis will also install water savers for taps, with this being an effective solution that reduces the water flow, allowing a saving of 40% water compared to usual. This is thanks to Eco Advance, Forever Green’s new partner.

Furthermore, the toilet cisterns are all fitted with flushers to minimise water use and a system of dry urinals for matchdays is in the process of being implemented. In addition, Real Betis have had LED lighting in place throughout the Benito Villamarín for years to save energy. That philosophy is being replicated at the new Ciudad Deportiva, which will have a large water reuse system.

Since the launch of Forever Green, which has been featured at major international events such as the Climate Summit, the World Sports Tourism Congress, Kosmos Sports Summit and World Football Summit, the club has implemented eco criteria when it comes to the selection of suppliers. “Many of our collaborating companies have been applying sustainability criteria in their processes thanks to Forever Green,” Muela added.

Sustainable mobility for the club’s employees and fans is also essential for achieving an environmentally friendly Estadio Benito Villamarín. For this reason, the club has a fleet of electric scooters for its employees and promotes the use of sustainable transport among its fans by offering discount codes.

In addition to applying all the aforementioned sustainable criteria at the club facilities, Real Betis have also launched a multitude of public projects over the last two and a half years. On this, Muela said: “Forever Green, since being launched, has already had more than 100 actions, reached 75 countries, incorporated 60 organisations, companies and clubs, and reached 195 media outlets around the world.”

Thanks to all the work carried out so far, the club has managed to save 3,500 tonnes of CO2, which is equivalent to 21,500 trees planted. As the Real Betis Foundation director concluded: “Among all the actions, those that stand out are the cleaning of natural environments, the measurement, reduction and compensation of our carbon footprint over the last three seasons and the creation of a corps of volunteers who are trained in environmental aspects.