Erasmus+ GOALS European project to promote environmental sustainability: new successes together with Portuguese and Romanian soccer federations achieve ISO14001 certification for environmental management
Just two months after the launch of the Environmental Footprint calculator, the project coordinated by the Sustainability Management Laboratory (SuM) of the Institute of Management of the Sant'Anna School of Management reaches an important goal
Guided by the Sustainability Management Laboratory (SuM) of the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, the Portuguese and Romanian soccer federations recently took a step forward on the path of ecological transition by obtaining ISO 14001 environmental management certification in the framework of their participation in Erasmus+ GOALS (Governance-Oriented Actions Levering on environment for Sustainability), a project coordinated by the Sustainability Management Laboratory (SuM) of the Institute of Management at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies aimed at improving the environmental management of sports federations and clubs. The result comes just two months after the launch of the Environmental Footprint calculator, the online platform that allows football clubs to evaluate their environmental impacts using the LCA method.
The Romanian Football Federation (FRF) has been active in the promotion of sustainability since its involvement in LIFE TACKLE in 2017, another successful EU-funded project supported by UEFA that promoted environmental sustainability in football. Together with the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), they are pioneers of environmental action in football. The ISO14001 certification is fundamental for organizations that want to achieve increased trust in the community by demonstrating voluntary commitment to the continuous improvement of their environmental performance. The main benefits are the reduction of costs, by improving the efficiency of processes, reducing consumption of raw materials, water, energy and minimizing of waste.
The two federations, Portuguese and Romanian, are committed to conducting their operations and activities in compliance with the principles of sustainability and aim to be an example for other federations and clubs, carrying a positive legacy for the future. Through their institutional alignment with the ISO 14001 standard, the football federations of Portugal and Romania reaffirm their leading role in the involvement of sport in sustainability, since they are the first two national football federations to obtain this important recognition.
