Lancashire Cricket has made a sustainability pledge to operate Emirates Old Trafford as one of the most sustainable multi-purpose venues in the UK and to be a leader for sustainability.
The Club is committed to having a positive impact on our environment by improving Emirates Old Trafford’s energy efficiency, reducing the venues carbon footprint and also inspiring others to take actions of their own.
A newly formed sustainability committee was created at the start of the year comprising of staff from departments across the business, including the men’s and women’s squads. The group meet regularly to work on a number of new initiatives around Emirates Old Trafford that can help Lancashire Cricket to meet its sustainability goals, as we aim to deliver a sustainable, eco-friendly, and innovative venue for cricket, concerts and hospitality events.
One of groups first initiatives saw six new trees and new beech hedges planted around Emirates Old Trafford – to support a reduction in our carbon footprint as well as enhance the local environment. This saw Lancashire Cricket collaborate with City of Trees MCR as part of their mission to plant three million trees, one for every person across Greater Manchester, in the next five years.
A new Eco Roof Garden has been installed in the UA92 Players’ and Media Centre at Emirates Old Trafford. This terrace is a new ecological habitat – with planters, living walls, bat boxes, a green house and – in time - solar panels. The area will not only benefit our ecological habitat but also benefit Lancashire Cricket staff – providing a calm location to spend time during work hours.
The Club has also signed up to a number of pilot schemes which include free bikes for staff who wish to cycle into work at Emirates Old Trafford, whilst staff members can also take advantage of a discounted Metrolink pass as Lancashire Cricket encourages its staff to be as sustainable as possible when making their way into the venue.
Michael Hewson, Operations Director at Lancashire Cricket said: “We are really pleased with the work our sustainability committee has been doing as we continue our sustainability mission that the Club is currently undertaking.
“It’s been great to be collaborating with a number of local charity initiatives such as City of Trees and The Bread and Butter Thing as we work together to reduce our environmental footprint, help to give some back to those in our community who are in need and hopefully we can also inspire other businesses in the local area to do the same.
“This is just the start of our sustainability journey, and we look forward to continuing to work on more projects in the months and years to come.”
The venue – an award-winning Conference and Events venue, which can host events up to 2,000 - uses local food suppliers and locally sourced food, eco-friendly take away food containers and ensures that food waste is composted. Catering staff are also trained in sustainable food provision, to know what the food they are serving contains and where the ingredients come from.
A food bank has also been set up in the Pavilion Reception at Emirates Old Trafford in aid of supporting the work of charity The Bread and Butter Thing - an organisation based locally in Trafford Park and bring nutritious, affordable food to the centre of the UK’s most deprived communities.
