DPD renews its sponsorship with Forest Green Rovers, highlighting a mutual commitment to sustainability.
- The partnership includes DPD’s branding on players’ shirts and stadium areas, enhancing visibility.
- Forest Green Rovers is recognised globally for its environmental efforts, including being the only vegan football club.
- DPD’s sustainability journey aligns with Forest Green Rovers’ ethos, targeting substantial emission reductions.
- Both organisations share experiences to further environmental awareness and progress.
The renewal of DPD’s sponsorship with Forest Green Rovers marks the continuation of a strategic alliance focused on sustainability. This partnership, now in its second year, prominently features DPD’s branding on the back of the players’ shirts and around the stadium, raising both awareness and visibility for the parcel delivery company.
Forest Green Rovers holds the distinct honour of being the only vegan football club globally and was recognised by the United Nations as the first carbon-neutral football club. This dedication to environmental responsibility is evident in their operations, from energy use and transport to waste management and species conservation. Their innovative approach includes creating team kits from bamboo fabric, adorned with designs symbolising global climate changes to further emphasise their commitment to sustainability.
DPD, similarly committed to reducing its ecological impact, has set ambitious targets to decarbonise its operations. The company aims for a 46% decrease in emissions by the end of 2024, compared to the 2020 baseline. Significant progress is marked by the introduction of electric and hydrogen fuel vehicles within their fleet, where a third of its final mile fleet now boasts electric vehicles, and a considerable portion of its HGVs run on hydrotreated vegetable oil. As part of Geopost, DPD has a net zero target set for 2040, endorsed by the Science Based Targets initiative.
This collaboration exemplifies how commercial partnerships can extend beyond traditional objectives, embracing a shared sustainability mission. DPD’s director, Tim Jones, acknowledges the inspirational role of Forest Green Rovers in leading sustainability innovations and emphasises the valuable exchange of successful practices. Forest Green Rovers’ chairman, Dale Vince, appreciates DPD’s commitment to net zero, reinforcing its role in furthering the club’s sustainability ambitions.
Both partners demonstrate that operational and environmental goals need not be mutually exclusive. Instead, they present a model of how businesses and sports organisations can collaborate to tackle global environmental challenges. Their shared initiatives underline an unwavering commitment to promoting environmental consciousness, effectively embedding sustainable practices into their corporate values and daily operations.
The partnership between Forest Green Rovers and DPD exemplifies a visionary approach to sustainability, setting a benchmark for collective environmental responsibility.
