The ACCESS project appears at COP29 in Baku as FC Porto takes the floor
Saturday, 16 November, saw FC Porto participating in the creation of an international alliance of football clubs for climate action, driven by Azerbaijani three-time champions Qarabag and the European Clubs Association (ECA), with the support of the COP29 presidency in Baku.
Prior to the new platform and initiative, Teresa Santos, FC Porto’s Sustainability Manager, took the floor to reaffirm the club’s commitment to sustainability, recognising it as a central responsibility and a unique opportunity to lead by example. And the examples are many; one strategic measure was the partnership signed in April 2023, in the final stages of Pinto da Costa’s presidency, with Greenvolt to develop two renewable energy communities – one at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto and another at the PortoGaia Training and Sports Development Center in Olival, along with providing an electric vehicle charging solution. Optimising resource management and the active involvement of partners and fans in more sustainable practices are other paths proposed by André Villas-Boas’ management, aiming for a “positive and lasting environmental impact”. These strategic partnerships and extending FC Porto’s environmental strategy to their local communities, as well as embedding the city of Porto’s targets and objectives in terms of climate neutrality into the club’s environmental strategy are perfect examples of what the ACCESS project is about and what it strives for in its workplan and objectives.
Speaking of the ACCESS project, she didn’t skip the opportunity to highlight the efforts and the approach the project has been deploying in the four participating cities where the pilot sport organisations were located, namely Cardiff, Porto, Copenhagen and Dublin, where the Welsh FA, FC Porto, the Danish FA and GAA have been working successfully on improving their environmental performances through extensive partnerships with their local public and private stakeholders.
Teresa Santos, Sustainability Manager, FC Porto
“We have set a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030, reflecting our determination to tackle environmental challenges with concrete and transformative actions. To achieve this, we are developing our roadmap for decarbonization.”
While highlighting these objectives she also reminded the audience that FC Porto had previously joined the United Nations Sports Framework for Climate Action. This newly created “Alliance of Football Clubs for the Climate”, launched there at COP29, raises the hopes for further active involvement of the club’s partners and supporters of more sustainable practices, she added. The brand new initiative includes Qarabag, Spanish clubs Atlético de Madrid and Betis, English teams Liverpool and Tottenham, Italian club Udinese, Turkish giants Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray, Swedish side Malmö, and Brazilian club Palmeiras.
Teresa Santos
“We are convinced that the future of sports and the preservation of the planet are intrinsically linked. Together, with partners and fans, we will transform climate challenges into opportunities for innovation and resilience, leaving a legacy of environmental responsibility and positive social impact for future generations,”