FC Barcelona travel by train to Madrid

In yet another example of its commitment to sustainability, FC Barcelona will be travelling to Madrid on the AVE high speed train for its 4.15pm CEST kick-off against Getafe this Sunday. This is a new move in elite sport, because pro teams have generally used air travel to get around the country. Whenever there are suitable trains and provided it is feasible option, Barça will be using trains to get to away games, in reflection of its commitment to SDG 7 on affordable and non-polluting energy, and reducing its carbon footprint.

Rail is the most sustainable option to travel been Barcelona and Madrid. Renfe electric trains are certified with a 100% renewable guarantee, so there are no CO2 emissions, as opposed to cars (65.6 kg of carbon dioxide) and planes (115.5 kg) for a journey between the two cities, according to data from ecopassenger.org. Although the emissions per train are 18.4kg of CO2 per journey, the fact that this route is supplied by renewable energies means that there are zero emissions.

Sustainability is one of the three core areas of the club's 2021-2026 Strategic Plan, viewed from different spheres: economic and governance, sports, social and environmental. The club is working to promote sustainable development in all its areas of action and thus achieve some of the main benchmark certifications, which recently included two Biosphere certifications, acknowledgments that verify that both the club and the museum deliver goods and services that represent responsibility to society and the environment.

Double Biosphere certification

The Biosphere certification is aligned with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and with the United Nations 2030 Agenda and is granted by the Responsible Tourism Institute (ITR), an independent body created in 1995 with the aim of promoting actions and programmes for sustainable development. The ITR was created with the support of UNESCO and is a founding member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), promoted by the United Nations Foundation. Since 2017, Biosphere has been established as the leading global sustainability certification system aligned with the 2030 Agenda, its 169 goals and 17 SDGs.

The club and its museum have been recognised with this certification after reporting a total of 202 indicators -111 from the club and 91 from the museum- related to topics such as climate change, sustainable energy, water, biodiversity, protection and responsible consumption, sustainable infrastructures, sustainable tourist destinations, cultural heritage, economic and inclusive development, health and safety, the promotion of inclusive and quality training, gender equality and female empowerment, the reduction of inequalities and decent work, among others.