Our thinking

From packs to pitches

25 June, 2021

This week, whilst the Euros carry on, we are excited to share some of our own football news: the launch of Lay’s RePlay.  

This week, we are excited to share some of our own football news: the launch of Lay’s RePlay.

In partnership with the UEFA Foundation for children and streetfootballworld, Lay’s has brought to life a project that brings together the two social and environmental dimensions of sustainability. The social first – as our long association with the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation shows, we are passionate believers in the power of sport to change lives, and change the world. Then there is the environmental angle – Lay’s RePlay creates sustainable pitches that minimize their environmental impacts, recovering and reusing empty Lay’s crisp packets and transforming them into pellets to form the underlying layer beneath the turf, called Ecocept™. Both the turf and Ecocept™ layer are 100% recyclable at the end of their life span.

We worked with the team providing the necessary support to ensure that the new pitches were as environmentally sustainable as possible by comparing them to the most common alternative pitches. Additionally, we looked to understand the carbon footprint of these pitches over the course of their lifetime, and to ensure they were net zero in terms of their carbon impact.

Through this work, we found that these new pitches generate between 112-128 tonnes of CO2e less than alternative pitches, over 99% less microplastic pollution, have a much higher proportion of recycled material, and reduced ecological disturbance and water usage.

Goal!

By Marie Guérinet