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      Here at Crystal Palace Football Club, we are committed to minimising our impact on the environment.

      Our 'Palace for the Planet' policy, detailed on this page, demonstrates our ongoing commitment to this area, detailing many of our recent measures.

      Commitment

      • An internal working group has been established and meet regularly.
      • As part of our Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme and Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting, we are developing strategies and initiatives to reduce carbon emissions and energy consumption. Indeed, SECR results for 22-23 showed 7.45% reduction in annual electric kwh consumption and 4.64% reduction in tCo2 emitted. Our Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions are clearly listed in this extract from our Annual Report, which is publicly available on Companies House.
      • A reduction in expected carbon dioxide emissions of at least 35% above that required by the 2013 Building Regulations was incorporated into the final design of the club’s Academy development, which will be completed in 2024.
      • We are partnered with the UK's first green train booking service, Train Hugger. Train Hugger plant one tree for every booking made via a unique link through the club’s website and emails. Our fans pay the same price for their train tickets and make a positive impact every time they book a journey to the match. This is heavily promoted to ticket purchasers – especially for away games.
      • We are committed to working with all current and prospective suppliers to reduce the carbon emissions from our supply chain and promote ethical and economic sustainability. The tendering process for goods and services includes environmental and sustainability factors alongside financial and quality evaluation factors, wherever practical.
      • Our match day kits are made by Macron using Eco-Fabric fabric which is a 100 percent polyester sourced from recycled plastic and certified Global Recycled Standard by ICEA.
      • Local food suppliers are favoured wherever possible.
      • Crystal Palace Football Club is proud to be a London Living Wage Employer.
      • Sustainability is embedded in the Main Stand redevelopment project.
      • Our Women’s Team’s new home ground is at the VBS Stadium in Sutton. They have made significant commitments and progress in this area, summarised on this page.

      Clean energy

      • Our energy supplier generates electricity from 100% renewable sources.
      • Solar panels will be installed at the Academy in early 2024 which will save 9 tCO2e a year; we are exploring additional options at other club sites.
      • Two electric mowers are used on pitches with a view to replacing all petrol powered machines. Our grounds staff use electric strimmers and leaf blowers, replacing petrol versions.
      • Electric vehicle charging points are available for players and staff at all sites - with 0.464 tCo2e saved in 2023.

      Energy efficiency

      • Building management systems are in place enabling temperatures to be monitored and adjusted automatically.
      • All lights across all sites are being replaced with LED in a phased manner, with an aim of becoming 100% LED operational.
      • Selhurst Park floodlighting is 100% LED.
      • Our new Selhurst Park LED advertising boards installed use significantly less energy than the panels which were replaced.   They are 2.68% more efficient in operation and the fanless design means they only consume energy when LED’s are in use.
      • The major redevelopment works at our Academy site had energy efficiency embedded in the design e.g. low energy lighting controlled with timers and motion sensors, efficient hot water heating boilers, ambient heating controlled with timers, room thermostats, and sensors. Furthermore, an extra outer wall cavity insulation specified for Academy rehabilitation centre is to be complete in 2024 - over and above building control regulations - for extra energy efficiency.
      • We are in a process of phasing out older appliances, being replaced with more efficient models.
      • Across the business, we have installed remote electricity sensors that allow us to monitor consumption at a detailed level. This is being used to identify wasteful practices and to drive cost effective investment in energy-reducing initiatives.

      Transport

      • Our teams all travel to matches by rail or coach, unless absolutely necessary.
      • Our first-team and U21s main team coach is now powered by Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO; also known as renewable diesel). It’s a fossil-free paraffinic diesel fuel that can be used as a direct replacement for mineral diesel with up to 90% lower net CO2 emissions. Derived from certified waste materials HVO therefore supports the circular economy. This will save 13.18 tCO2e per season.
      • We offer a Cycle to Work scheme to all full-time staff, enabling staff to save money on bike purchase and spread the cost.
      • We are partnered with the UK's first green train booking service, Train Hugger. Train Hugger plant one tree for every booking made via a unique link through the club’s website and emails. Our fans pay the same price for their train tickets and make a positive impact every time they book a journey to the match.
      • We provide bike storage for 20 bikes, to supporters and staff on matchdays on a first-come, first-served basis.
      • We offer competitively priced coach travel to most away games for our travelling supporters, and recently offered free, return coach travel for Everton away (January 2024).
      • After every home matchday, ticket holders are offered the opportunity to fill in a survey – which asks supporters about mode of travel. During the 2022-23 season, more than half of matchday survey respondents (amounting to in excess of 3,000) travelled by public transport (53%), and this figure would be significantly higher had it not been for multiple train strikes. For the 23-24 season, public transport usage for matches has increased to 57%.
      • A recent matchday fan experience survey conducted by Premier League polled 1,008 CPFC supporters along with 31,000 Premier League attending fans across all clubs (research conducted between 10 Oct 2022 – 30 Nov 2022, by Yonder and the Premier League). It found Crystal Palace fans over index on train travel to both home matches and away matches. In 22/23 season, 43% of Palace fans polled travelled to home matches by train, with 56% travelling by train for away matches. Personal car usage is considerably lower than the league average amongst Palace fans polled on matchday habits, with 35% using their car for home matches and 31% for away respectively.
      • Electric vehicle points are available for staff at all club sites.
      • Our kit and maintenance vans have been replaced with newer, lower emission Euro 6 compliant models. They are ULEZ compliant. Whilst 50% of our company car fleet is fully electric, 50% is mild-hybrid.

      Phasing out plastic

      • We are trialling paper beer cups in Q1-2024, gathering supporter feedback.
      • All disposable cutlery is wooden or non-plastic, as well as paper straws.
      • Water machines / tanks are present in all offices to ensure less use of water bottles by staff and players.
      • All bags provided at Selhurst Park for retail purchases (merchandising etc) are paper, not plastic.
      • Removed plastic packaging from certain retail products, eg. keyrings and badges. We are continuously reviewing packaging on all products.
      • Tens of thousands of plastic membership and Season Ticket cards have been phased out.
      • International members in 2023/24 were given the option to receive a physical membership pack, or not. Encouragingly, 64% opted not to receive a pack. In 2022/23 membership packs, we chose products with sustainability in mind – ie. a reusable drinks bottle.
      • Media guests attending Selhurst Park are encouraged to bring their own drinking vessels, to be refilled in the Media Centre.

      Waste management

      • Our waste does not end up in landfill.  At all sites waste is separated into general, dry mixed recycling, glass, and grass - enabling our waste management company to maximise recycling and sustainability opportunities.  62.89% of our waste was recyled in 2023.
      • At the Academy, food is also separated.
      • Grass is sustainably recycled as fertiliser, compost or animal feed.
      • To reduce food waste, on matchdays all hot food is sold at a 50% discount immediately after the final whistle.
      • In 2023, we donated 846kg of food (2,014 meals) to City Harvest – a food charity who redistribute food to those in need.  This equates to 5,722 GHG emissions prevented.
      • Biovate cleaning products used in kitchens and public bars, which use a ‘combination of probiotic, enzyme and plant based ingredients to harness the power of nature for maximum cleaning performance with minimum impact on the planet”.  Production based in the UK, with minimal carbon footprint, which is then offset against a local tree planting programme.

      Paper

      • Our matchday programme produced for men’s first team matches (only) is made exclusively of FSC® certified paper.
      • To reduce the printing of matchday programmes, all Gold, Junior Gold and International Members receive a digital programme emailed to them/hosted on the website as part of their package. The Club also sells one-off digital editions for £1.99, which are promoted on social channels before home games – helping us reduce paper requirements.
      • Our Women’s team programme is only available digitally.
      • Premium hospitality menu cards are printed on recycled paper.
      • Accounts Payable team in Finance department are paperless – ie. this is a policy; suppliers must send electronic invoices not paper.
      • Double-sided printing as default in staff office printers.

      Water

      • We save around 8,250 litres of water per year through using Beer Saver line-cleaning technology in cellars in Selhurst Park’s Main Stand and Red & Blue bars.
      • Remote water readers monitor our consumption helping us to effectively manage our consumption.  We have identified and repaired water leaks in our pipes using this system, saving water in the process.
      • Our Grounds team uses pitch condition monitoring systems and pitch irrigation systems to optimise water use at all sites.
      • A 'closed loop' wash down bay' has been installed for cleaning off machinery, which recycles used water with any contaminants being broken down by filters and microbial action. This means that only clean water returns to sewers. Plans to also install one at the Training Ground in 2024.
      Players try Vegan Beef | Palace For The Planet

      Food

      • Vegan and plant-based food options are offered to fans in the vast majority of the stadium and are always made available to players and staff. Of the 33 kiosks on the Selhurst Park concourses, there are 23 that serve hot food and wherever there is hot food there is a hot vegan option.
      • We offer a wide range of products, including: vegan burger (all stands), vegan sausage roll (all stands), vegan Tuscan bean pie (all stands), vegan pizza (Arthur Wait stand, home supporters, only), Jamaican veggie patties (Main Stand), vegan curry loaded chips (Lower Holmesdale). We also offer chips from British potatoes, and vegan sweets (Fruit Pastilles)
      • Hospitality always include plant-based vegan options on menus.
      • We have switched our cooking oil to High Oleic Sunflower oil; a European crop, highly sustainable, with minimal herbicide usage, and is bee-friendly.
      • Food miles. Pies are locally sourced (30 miles), including a vegan pie offered. Meat pies all British meat. Beef burgers locally produced at a Croydon-based butcher. Chips are now also from UK, rather than Europe.
      • We offer vegan beer to supporters: Carlsberg and San Miguel.
      • Non-dairy milk is offered as an alternative for supporters’ hot drinks in all concourses; various alternative milks offered in premium lounges. Plant-based milk is made available to staff.
      • To reduce food waste, on matchdays all hot food is sold at a 50% discount immediately after the final whistle. We saved more than 5,000 meals in 2023.
      • In 2023, we donated 846kg of food (2,014 meals) to City Harvest – a food charity who redistribute food to those in need.  This equates to 5,722 GHG emissions prevented.
      • Coffee machines throughout the business use ground beans rather than individual aluminium capsules, reducing waste.
      • Supporters are encouraged to visit greenfootballweekend.com for a free Veggie Cookbook including favourite recipe picks from our players Sam Johnstone and Chloe Arthur – plus, supporters can submit their eco efforts and score green goals for Crystal Palace as part of the campaign which encourages fans to make greener choices.

      Biodiversity

      • ‘Compensation ditches’ has been constructed at the Academy, creating a vibrant environment for wildlife.
      • 111 trees have been planted at the Club’s Academy site, with more to come.

      Communications

      • This page is regularly updated.
      • We always encourage all supporters to travel by public transport on all matchdays.
      • Palace for Life Foundation delivers the Protect the Planet programme in local primary schools in partnership with the Premier League. The 6-week programme is made up of workshops encouraging students to be more sustainable with food, travel, waste and energy. Workshops are a mix of theory and activity, where all students engage in challenges to reduce their carbon footprint.
      • Full-time staff have been offered online Environmental Awareness training. Sessions for Academy teams began in January 2024.
      • The club recently supported the recent Green Football Weekend, as well as the World Wildlife Fund’s campaign encouraging supporters to consider their environmental impact.
      • We have supported two eagle sanctuaries in 2023, in USA and Mexico.