Addressing climate change and creating a sustainable society has become a major challenge for the soccer industry as well.Reducing waste and hosting environmentally-friendly matches are also important roles demanded of soccer teams.The Rakuten Group and Vissel Kobe have aimed for a better society and have made benches using renewable materials, which have been installed within the premises of Noevir Stadium Kobe.

What happens to the drink cups of beverages consumed at a soccer stadium afterwards?I wonder if there’s anyone who has ever thought about such a thing.In the past, once finished drinking, containers were simply discarded into the trash bin and treated as burnable waste. However, nowadays, it has become possible to utilize these materials as different resources.

The Rakuten Group is engaged in activities aimed at creating a better future for many people, using sports as a catalyst.As part of this initiative, we have manufactured a bench utilizing the renewable material “LIMEX”.”LIMEX” is a composite material of inorganic filler dispersion system, containing more than 50% inorganic substances such as calcium carbonate, and it is an alternative material for plastic and paper, with limestone as the main ingredient.It has been introduced as a drink cup at the food and beverage stalls inside the match venue of Vissel Kobe’s home games.Some of it was used as material for benches, and instead of being discarded as drink cups, it was reborn for a new purpose.

This is a drink cup made using “LIMEX”.

Although the Jubilo IWATA match on November 1, when the bench was first unveiled, was unfortunately under a rainy sky and thus had few supporters sitting on the bench, it is expected to become a resting place for many people in future matches.In addition to the production of this bench, at Noevir Stadium Kobe, they are conducting various activities aimed at realizing a sustainable society, such as converting about 5,800 lights used for pitch illumination, various rooms, corridors, and concourses to 100% LED.

Vissel Kobe and Rakuten Group are aiming to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 12 ‘Responsible Production and Consumption’ and 13 ‘Climate Action’ through these initiatives.Promote behavior change among sports lovers, practice ‘sustainable production and consumption’ related to sports, and create a better future filled with a rich green environment.

TEXT : Kodai Wada
PHOTO: Yukiko Noguchi
EDIT: Yohsuke Watanabe (IN FOCUS)