In this INA Lunchbreak we introduce the initative From the Field to the Fan Shop which addresses sustainable procurement in sports. 

Fairness plays an essential role in football. At the same time, the topic of "fair and sustainable consumption" is becoming increasingly relevant for fans and clubs. In this context, the focus naturally falls on the numerous consumer and merchandise articles that clubs offer in their fan shops. How can such fan articles be produced sustainably and fairly?

In the past year, nine football clubs from the 1st and 2nd German Bundesliga (1. FC Union Berlin, Arminia Bielefeld, Borussia Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt, FC St. Pauli, Hamburger SV, SV Werder Bremen, VfB Stuttgart and VfL Wolfsburg) joined forces for the first time to commit to more sustainability in the area of fan merchandise. The initiative "From the Field to the Fan Shop" supports 450 small farmers of a cotton cooperative in India in converting to the cultivation of organic cotton over the next three years. The clubs in this alliance will purchase cotton from the project in the future and process it for their merchandise. At the same time, the project offers children and young people in the neighbouring communities of cotton cultivation educational perspectives through sports training. Girls and young women in particular are expected to benefit from this. The initiative was launched by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) together with the textile company BRANDS Fashion. The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is supporting its implementation. 

In this lunchbreak, we present the joint project for sustainable procurement. The textile company BRANDS Fashion and the football club SV Werder Bremen will also explain their role in and the relevance of the project.

 

The one-hour online meeting takes place on the first Friday of the month.

The date is Friday, 03.03.2023 from 12.00 - 13.00pm CET. 

 

12.00pm Opening and Updates 
Benjamin Seidel, Policy Advisor, Division 122 / BMZ

12.10pm Presentation of the initiative: From the Field to the Fanshop
Bente Krützfeldt, Global project AgriChains, GIZ & Hannes Utescher, Global project Sport 4 Development, GIZ 

12.20pm

The role of BRANDS Fashion
Jana Zilich, Sustainability Manager, BRANDS Fashion GmbH

The role of SV Werder Bremen 
Lukas Godula, E-Commerce Manager, Werder Bremen Fan-Service GmbH

12.40pm Q&A and Debate

12.55pm Outlook and Conclusion 
Program Director INA

 

Host: Christian Thorun, ConPolicy 

 

The event is aimed at interested stakeholders from the private sector, civil society and politics.