EURO 2024, ESG strategies with Michele UVA

Michele Uva, UEFA Director of Social & Environmental Sustainability, presented a summary of the key ESG (Environmental, Social and corporate Governance) actions implemented for the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament held in Germany at the SFS24.

This journey began two and a half years ago with the aim of defining a replicable path for the future for UEFA, federations, and amateur clubs. Before outlining the ESG activities, however, Uva wanted to outline the scope of the event in terms of personnel involved, cumulative audience, and economic impact. “We sold 2.7 million tickets, with a cumulative audience of 5.4 billion and over 4.5 million social media impressions“, said Uva. “Furthermore, nearly €3 billion in revenue was generated, part of which was used to organize the event, while the rest was redistributed to European federations“.

Ambition, action, and accountability were the three pillars upon which the entire ESG strategy was developed, in a collaborative effort involving all engaged stakeholders. For EURO2024, a budget of 30 million euros was allocated—a record-breaking amount compared to previous editions—invested in key areas such as circular economy, the creation of a climate fund, and the implementation of high-impact social tools.

“We distributed 10,000 tickets to people with reduced mobility, in addition to designing an ADC (Assistive Deaf Communication) system that enabled 41,000 deaf individuals to fully experience match day. Furthermore, we invested 1 million euros in risk assessment activities, signing a declaration with the German government to ensure respect for human rights and prevent instances of online abuse,” said Uva, emphasizing the commitment and care that characterized the tournament as a whole.

The ESG strategies implemented are also available for consultation through an online report published in November 2024, containing publicly accessible data and figures. Finally, as a testament to the sustainability of EURO2024, the event was assessed by the German company DEKRA, which certified it at the highest level of sustainability (level 4), with 95% of the established targets successfully achieved.

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