Scott Jenkins, chairman of GSA and GM of the New Atlanta Stadium for the National Football League’s Atlanta Falcons, greeted attendees at the Green Sports Alliance Summit. (Photo by Rielle Photography)
Going green is no longer just a good public relations move. In addition to being good for the environment, the data proves that sports and entertainment consumers have come to expect and support green initiatives. Turnkey Sports & Entertainment partnered with the Green Sports Alliance to create a survey specifically for sports fans. The relationship began at last year’s Green Sports Alliance Summit when Steve Seiferheld, Sr. VP, Research, Turnkey Sports & Entertainment, spoke with GSA members.
“They had been looking for consumer sports fan data that talks about opinions and attitudes in relation to the environment,” said Seiferheld, who added the study was run with Turnkey Intelligence and presented for the first time at this year’s Green Sports Summit in Santa Clara, Calif., July 21-23.
A total of 1,007 responses were collected from sports fans to create the data.
But what is a sports fan? According to Seiferheld, the audience for the study was people who have attended at least two different types of sporting events in the last 12 months.
“I wanted to get someone who was a sports consumer — not just a baseball person or a soccer person,” he said. “I wanted to get a broader picture.”
And the data paints quite a picture. Of those surveyed, 81 percent said they are concerned about the environment, with 79 percent proactively trying to conserve electricity and believing that changing their habits can make a difference.
Not only are these fans conscious of sustainability, they think sports leagues should be, too. About 72 percent of environmentally conscious fans agree that sports teams and leagues have a responsibility to utilize environmentally friendly practices, and 65 percent believe their favorite teams could be doing more to be sustainable.
Sports fans are becoming increasingly aware of sustainable practices. (Photo by Turnkey Sports & Entertainment/Turnkey Intelligence)
“I think it really indicates a shift in the consumer mindset,” said Scott Jenkins, chairman of GSA and GM of the New Atlanta Stadium for the National Football League’s Atlanta Falcons, a $1.2-billion construction that opens in 2017. He expected to see a positive response to environmental initiatives, but he was surprised by the dramatic support. “I like to think that people are waking up to the reality that we have to be connected to the planet and understand what we’re doing to it.”
Some of the top items environmentally-conscious fans expect from leagues and venues include utilizing separate trash and recycling receptacles, donating unsold concessions items to places of need, and offering reusable, refillable cups for beverage purchase.
The statistics point out that women are more conscious of others’ involvement in sustainability efforts, with 70 percent noticing when people don’t recycle. Enacting and publicizing green efforts could help appeal to less sports-minded women, with just 67 percent considering themselves avid sports fans as opposed to 82 percent of the men surveyed.
The study also revealed an opportunity to a new revenue stream or strategy to fill dark days, with 57 percent of environmentally-conscious fans saying they would participate in a league-organized or team-run event that benefits the environment.
“There are some really big, positive numbers that help make the business case for why this matters,” said Jenkins. “Anybody that’s not paying attention to customer preferences and behaviors is doomed to failure.”
Attendees at the Green Sports Alliance Summit were the first to hear the results from Turnkey Sports & Entertainment's Turnkey Intelligence Sports Attendees & The Environment survey. (Photo by Turnkey Sports & Enterainment/ Turnkey Intelligence)
When it comes down to it, 56 percent of fans said they are more likely to support a brand or sponsor that promotes environmentally-friendly practices, and 48 percent are more likely to support a sustainability-minded team or league.
Those fans also spend more money. The environmentally-conscious fan spends an average of $403 per year at sporting events, with the less-concerned fan spending more than $60 less.
In addition to appealing to fans and their wallets, Jenkins said there are plenty of economic reasons to go green when it comes to operations. With the Green Sports Summit being held in California, water — more specifically, the lack of — was a hot topic of conversation. Low-flow and water-conservation systems have been in venues for years, and businesses are seeing the benefit as water becomes a serious, and costly, issue in California.
“If you’re a business and you use less water, you’ve insulated yourself from those exposures and fluctuations,” said Jenkins, who added that case studies have proven that low-flow plumbing fixtures and energy-efficient lighting can save facilities hundreds of thousands of dollars in utility costs. “When you get down to it, it also makes good business sense.”
He added that eco-minded facilities and leagues can generate partnerships with other companies that have similar interests, adding a revenue component to going green.
The New Atlanta Stadium, designed by 360 Architecture, will be LEED certified with an emphasis on environmentally friendly practices, including where food is coming from, what cleaning products are used and how waste streams are recycled.
“Seeing this data just elevates my mindset about the importance of sustainability for the new stadium,” said Jenkins. “It really fits in and gives me hope that what we’re doing makes a difference.”
Interviewed for this story: Scott Jenkins, (646) 434-1375; Steve Seiferheld, (856) 685-1450