FIFA fails to prove that the World Cup in Qatar was sustainable, says the organization – 07/06/2023 – Sport

Switzerland’s advertising regulator ruled that FIFA misled consumers by claiming the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was the first “completely carbon neutral” event, in the latest sanction against so-called “greenwashing” (literally, “green washing” to make things look green).

FIFA, a signatory to the UN’s sport for climate framework, failed to provide “reliable evidence of how all CO₂ emissions generated by the tournament could be offset according to Swiss standards”, the Swiss Fairness Commission found.

FIFA’s claim included all pollution associated with ticket holders’ travel, accommodation, food and drink, estimated at 3.63 million tonnes of CO₂, a figure which was unverifiable.

The decision stated that the entity must “refrain in the future from making the disputed claims” unless it can provide “complete proof of the calculation (…) of all CO₂ emissions caused by the tournament and proof that these emissions of CO_^two were fully compensated”.

Carbon offsets are a contested method of offsetting carbon pollution, in part because of how difficult they are to measure or verify.

Complaints about FIFA’s claims were filed in the UK, France, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands in November, when advertising regulators referred the action to the regulator in Switzerland, where FIFA is based.

“This should be the moment when FIFA starts to take credible climate measures, which must start from breaking relations with big polluters, such as its sponsors QatarEnergy and Qatar Airways,” said Frank Huisingh, of Fossil Free Football, the organization that presented the complaint in the Netherlands.

Analysis by independent non-profit group Carbon Market Watch said FIFA compensated less than half of what was needed to support the claim of being carbon neutral.

One of the initiatives FIFA and the Qatar World Cup intended to use to claim offsetting half of their emissions was a solar plant, which did not appear to be registered to a standard or certified by a third party.

The football association announced its carbon neutral claims on its website and social media pages, targeting an international audience.

FIFA argued that the information was not intended as a commercial inducement but was done in the interest of transparency. In its opinion, “consumers were in no way misled by the contested claims” and the body is “aware that climate change is one of the most pressing challenges of our time. For that reason, it has made considerable efforts to combat the negative effects of such a tournament and maximize its positive effects”.

The decision is the latest in controversy surrounding Qatar’s hosting of the World Cup since it was awarded the event in 2010, prompting accusations of bribery and “sports laundering” of its human rights record, including the treatment of workers. migrants.

Andrew Simms, director of the New Weather Institute, the organization that brought the UK’s complaint against FIFA, said: “Sport continues to be used as a giant billboard by some of the biggest climate culprits to promote polluting products and lifestyles, threatening the future of athletes and fans and the sport itself”.