Posted on 31st October 2025
This is the second in a series of articles from our partners at Pledgeball as they look at some of the ways football is delivering climate education and behavioural change…
Waving scarves and chanting anthems used to be the extent of many supporters’ involvement in football. Today, fans are taking it a step further, pushing their clubs to take action on environmental sustainability through genuine activism.
Leading that charge are Sustaina-Bees, an independent supporters’ group made up of Brentford fans with knowledge of and concern for the environmental crisis, helping shape the club’s green ambitions.
Brentford’s first ever sustainability report, covering the 2023-24 season, was unveiled in late 2024. It set out a strategy around governance, climate, circularity, nature and biodiversity and engagement. Central to the engagement pillar are efforts to involve supporters in real-world action – and Sustaina-Bees have been instrumental in that ethos.
One tangible result is the Gtech Community Garden, created on Lionel Road near the stadium, featuring roughly 25 plant species including wildflowers and herbs and even a solitary beehive to support pollinators.
Perhaps their most fan-facing policy was organising guided bike rides to Brentford’s home fixture against Fulham in May. Led by professional ride leaders from Gapped Cycling, fans could depart from Acton, Ealing Broadway, Hounslow East or Richmond, pedalling via quiet roads and cycle paths to arrive at the Gtech Community Stadium around kick-off. The rides were gentle, sociable and strictly family friendly.
Supporters who locked their bikes at one of the club’s secure, staffed cycle parks were rewarded on arrival with a food and drink voucher inside the stadium (plus junior goodie bags) – an initiative aligned with the ‘Bike to Brentford’ scheme aimed at reducing fan travel emissions.
“Initiatives like this are how we bring Brentford fans along with us on our sustainability journey,” said James Beale, Brentford’s sustainability manager. “Cycling to games is already popular … we hope supporters taking part find that cycling to the match is safe, accessible and a great way to build community with other fans.”
The response was also echoed in Brentford’s 2025 fan sustainability survey: supporters rated sustainability at 8.4 out of 10 on average, with 80% keen to learn how to reduce the club’s environmental footprint and 74% likely to get involved in sustainability-focused campaigns.
The survey highlighted awareness of the rail travel initiative and recycling schemes, but also flagged that fan-led campaigns such as those driven by Sustaina-Bees are highly valued.
The environmental stakes are huge. Sport-focused climate research from the Rapid Transition Alliance estimates that global football emissions total more than 30 million tonnes of CO₂ annually, rivalling the national emissions of Denmark. And a 2022 global carbon study placed football’s complete footprint – factoring stadium operations, travel, merchandise and sponsorship – at about 64-66 million tonnes of CO₂, similar to the emissions profile of Austria.
Crucially, fan travel is the dominant component, accounting for roughly 70-90% of matchday emissions in professional football. In the Premier League particularly, travel emissions are estimated to make up around 61% of each club’s overall greenhouse gases, according to independent analyses.
This makes the push from fan-led campaigns especially strategic.
Where clubs might view sustainability as peripheral, supporters see an obligation. And they hold leverage. Groups like Gunners for Change, Spurs REWIND and United for Sustainability are mounting petitions, calling for public transport incentives, transparency in emissions reporting and changes to club supply chains.
With rising global temperatures threatening flooding at stadiums (one study warns up to 25% of English grounds could face annual inundation by 2050), climate change is no longer hypothetical for football – it is existential.
Football fans have always shaped identity and lore. Now they are shaping environmental policy. In Germany, they reduce emissions. In England, they mobilise climate campaigns. Everywhere, they demand that football, as the world’s game, plays its part in the planet’s future.
As supporter activism grows, clubs will increasingly face the choice to either lead or be led. And plainly, a new definition of fandom is emerging. One in which cheering on your team means supporting the planet, too.
This was written by Ryan Baldi and originally published on Football365.com.