Real Madrid follow Barcelona’s lead with ambitious new sustainability initiative at the Bernabeu

Committed to excellence both on and off the pitch, Spanish giants Real Madrid have put pen to paper on a partnership with PreZero Iberia aimed at reducing waste at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The announcement follows in the footsteps of bitter rivals Barcelona, who also revealed their joint initiative with PreZero Iberia last month covering the revamped Camp Nou.

Los Blancos' agreement will see the company improve ‘selective waste collection, reuse, recycling, and waste recovery at the Bernabeu and Ciudad Real Madrid', in order to promote a circular economy at the ground.

One of the key targets of the partnership could be for the club to achieve Residuo Cero (Zero Waste) certification, a designation that means at least 90% of waste at the ground is recycled.

The only stadium in Spain that currently holds the prestigious award is Mallorca's Son Moix, another venue that is managed by PreZero Iberia.

How will Real Madrid's agreement improve sustainability at the Bernabeu?

PreZero Iberia will be in charge of waste collection at all events hosted at the Bernabeu, including Real Madrid matches, and will make use of data intelligence to both maximise the amount of waste retrieved and minimise the amount produced on site over time.

According to a club statement, the company will ‘monitor waste generation and management in different areas and implement a model based on traceability, selective collection, and improved classification', with the goal of reducing the the environmental impact of waste management.

Los Blancos will also be launching awareness campaigns directed towards fans visiting the Bernabeu, featuring educational content created by PreZero that highlights the principles of the circular economy linked to waste management, as well as the implementations at the stadium.

Commercial and club staff will also be offered training sessions to raise awareness of best practices and the changes involved in the new agreement.

Speaking on the partnership, Real Madrid's Director of Institutional Relations, Emilio Butragueno, said:

“We are very pleased. PreZero is a leading company in its sector. We share many values with them: leadership, a drive for improvement, the pursuit of excellence, innovation. We are very excited about this agreement.”

From the company side, Gonzalo Canete, CEO of PreZero Iberia added:

“Our commitment with Real Madrid lies in reducing, reusing, and recycling the waste generated at the Bernabeu and Ciudad Real Madrid. In this way, the club will become an international benchmark in circular economy.”

FGG Says: Growing number of green initiatives at football stadiums

Real Madrid's agreement with PreZero arrives at a time when green initiatives are becoming more commonplace at football stadiums around the world, from relative minnows like Forest Green Rovers installing solar panels to Tottenham Hotspur‘s renewable energy certification and disposable plastic ban.

Wolf Tiedemann, CEO of PreZero International, was keen to highlight this shift in his comments as part of the announcement, proudly exclaiming that “PreZero has led the transition towards a circular economy in professional football,” noting that “Joining forces with Real Madrid represents a decisive milestone in this journey.”