Liverpool FC and SC Johnson thank fans for first in world football

The club and its purpose-led partner have a shared goal – the first of its kind in world football – to create an industry-leading plastic upcycling programme at Anfield; and to succeed, support from fans is vital.

Working together, their partnership is centred around PET plastic bottle upcycling, which is collected from the stadium and kept out of landfills. The unique initiative measures and tracks the plastic as part of a bespoke effort that turns these used plastic bottles into new Mr Muscle® packaging.

Fans adopting recycling behaviour is the cornerstone. Success begins when they deposit plastic bottles into new branded waste points that were installed on every concourse at Anfield ahead of the 2022-23 season.

This ambitious goal has been a success, and match by match this season fans have responded as collection rates for recycled plastic have increased significantly from 25 per cent at the start of the season to an average of 86 per cent by the end of 2022. In recent months, fans have been recycling at a rate of above 90 per cent at every match.

This clearly demonstrates a positive change in fan behaviour, playing their part to support a healthier planet and embody The Red Way, LFC’s sustainability programme, which is the club’s commitment to creating a better future for its people, planet and communities.

To celebrate this positive change, LFC and SCJ wanted to reward fans and say, ‘thank you’.

On Saturday April 22, LFC used the Premier League fixture with Nottingham Forest to spotlight the planet pillar of The Red Way on World Earth Day, as two fans went head-to-head in the £10k Penalty Challenge at half-time in front of the Kop.

The value of the prize pot represents the next phase of the partnership, a pledge by both club and partner to reduce all waste from across the club by 10 per cent each season from next season. This new challenge is indicative of the work both organisations are doing to leave the world a better place for the next generation.

The £10k Penalty Challenge’s selection process involved spotting fans who used the recycling bins at Anfield. From that, 50 participants took part in the £10k Penalty Challenge earlier in the season.

Season ticket holders Craig and Stevie progressed and faced each other at Anfield to see who could hold their nerve from the spot, with the pair receiving invaluable advice from Steven Gerrard beforehand. View the £10k Penalty Challenge in full in the video below.

Ben Latty, commercial director at Liverpool FC, said “We’re incredibly proud of the work that has been done this season to reduce, recycle and reuse waste at Anfield. We cannot thank the fans enough for supporting this mission, which is a first in world football.

“Working in partnership with SC Johnson we can really make a difference to our planet and bring The Red Way to life.”

Building on Anfield recycling and education efforts in the community with LFC Foundation and with Official Liverpool Supporters Clubs around the world, SC Johnson wants to continue rewarding fans for adopting this reduce, reuse and recycle behaviour and will be incorporating this into the MyLFC rewards programme, where fans can earn points for watching SCJ content on the rewards platform.

For more information on LFC’s sustainability programme The Red Way, go here.